Daughters of Glimmer
by SummerDancer
Summary: Starlight Glimmer had a painful fall, but she is more than determined to finish what she started. The message of Equality needs to spread across Equestria, and she knows just the mares who can help her...no matter how many years it takes. But she soon finds out that raising six fillies that still represent the Elements of Harmony is easier said than done.
1. Prologue

Starlight Glimmer released a shuddering sigh as she pushed through the stinging rain. Her body was covered in a cloak, and the hood covered her head, but not even the thick fabric could keep her from freezing her flank off. _But it'll all be worth it,_ the unicorn thought. _Once…once I get there…I can start again… soon….very soon…_

She growled when she stepped in a puddle of mud. _I never liked the country…_

Thunder clapped overhead, and the winds picked up. But Starlight stayed the course, and continued to push herself even further. Up ahead, she saw a darkened sign on a grassy hill. Grunting, she trudged forward and lit up her horn. A crazed, sadistic grin slowly spread across her face as she read the wording.

 _Welcome to Ponyville!_

 _ **BOOM!**_

"Whoo hoo!" Pinkie shouted, tilting her head backwards and sticking out her tongue so that she could taste the rain.

"What's the big idea?" Rainbow Dash shouted over the winds, her wings flapping in rapid motions. "We didn't schedule a storm for today! Not for a couple of months!"

Thunderlane shrugged defensively. "I-I-I don't know! It just came outta nowhere!"

Cloudkicker nodded. "We can't get rid of it! The clouds, they're too thick to bust! We'll only make it worse if we try!" Rainbow drew a sharp breath. "Okay, fine. If we can't get rid of it, we'll just have to work with it. Help me push these clods away from the monumental buildings. At least that way, lightning won't strike 'em!"

Below them, Rarity carefully maneuvered around the puddles in the ground so that her purple raincoat would stay clean. Pinkie splashed into one right next to her, drenching the unicorn with water. " _Pinkie Pie!_ "

The party pony grinned sheepishly. "Sorry! I just love splashing in puddles, especially the really big ones what go _sploosh!_ It's my favorite thing to do whenever it rains, aside from catching raindrops with my tongue—like this! Aaaaah~!"

"No thank you," Rarity muttered, using her magic to ring out her soaked rain cap. She briefly observed Pinkie Pie's plain yellow raincoat and cap, along with her pale yellow boots. It was so bright; she had to squint in order to look at the excitable mare. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of yellow.

It was Applejack, clad in a lime green raincoat of her own. "Sakes alive!" she shouted to them. "This has _got_ to be one of the worst storms we've had since our sleepover!"

"I agree," Rarity said running a hoof down her mane. "It's never been so bad!"

Twilight Sparkle trotted over them with Spike right beside her, carrying a parchment and quill as usual. Twilight's raincoat was cherry red. "Okay girls, every pony but the weather team is safe indoors. Applejack, what's the status on Sweet Apple Acres?"

"Everythin's all locked up and bolted down. Good thing we bucked those apples early today. My family's all accounted for too."

Spike jotted it down on the parchment, which jerked violently in the winds. "And I've cleared away all of the large debris," Rarity said.

"And I stopped by each and every house to make sure everypony had their emergency kits," Pinkie Pie added proudly.

Spike grunted in irritation as he tried to write it all down without the parchment flying away. Twilight nodded. "Okay, good. Has anypony seen—"

 _ **Boom!**_

"EEEEP!" Applejack turned her head, finding a trembling bush behind her.

"Oh-never mind. How are the woodland creatures, Fluttershy?"

The frightened pegasus slowly climbed out of her little bush, revealing her magenta colored raincoat. "A-All the animals are s-s-safe at my c-c-cottage," she shivered.

"Alrighty then!" Twilight chirped. "Good work, everypony! Ponyville should be in good shape by the time this storm passes. She knelt down to her bristling assistant and smiled. "You've done a wonderful job, Spike. You can go home and rest now."

Spike grinned and expertly rolled up the list and tucked it under his arm. "You coming with, Twilight?"

"In a minute. We've gotta check with Rainbow Dash first and see how big this storm's gonna get."

"Okay. I'll fix us some hot coca for tonight."

Twilight grinned. "Extra marshmallows?"

" _And_ extra whipped cream!" Spike added with a wink.

The two hugged before Spike waved at the others. "See you, guys! Oh, and say goodbye to Dash for me!"

The girls said their farewells, their voices overlapping. "Be careful!" Twilight called after him.

The winds picked up dangerously and the rain came down even harder. Applejack kept a firm grip on her hat. After a few minutes of waiting, a rainbow colored blur eventually crossed their vision in the sky. Rainbow Dash plopped down next to them, her mane and tail hopelessly soaked. She shook her head worriedly. "It's no use! It's too strong! There's no way we can handle it!"

Rarity's eyes widened. "It's that bad?"

Rainbow's brow furrowed, the way it always did whenever she was genuinely worried. "Worse."

"We'd better get inside," Twilight said, thinking on her hooves.

But as soon as the words left her mouth, a strong gust of wind swooped over them, so powerful, that it knocked each pony off her hooves. "WHOA!" Pinkie gasped. "That was huge!"

"My outfit! Riddled with mud!" Rarity wailed.

Rainbow Dash spat something out and scowled. "Give me a break! You're not the one with a mouthful of dirt!" Applejack was the first to recover, already standing upright. "On your hooves, everypony! We're gonna have to make a break for it!"

Everypony rose quickly and ran blindly through the unforgiving storm. The only thing clearly visible was the occasional silhouette of trees and houses and the pounding rain, which now stung like fire on their faces.

 _C-r-rac-k!_

Fluttershy gave a cry of warning. A large tree came toppling down towards them at unforgiving speed. Some yelled out in surprise as they dodged, the oak tree missing them by that much. Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth as the ground shook beneath them when the tree made contact with the ground. "I-Is everypony okay?" she heard Twilight shout.

"I'm alright!" Rarity called back.

"Same here!"

"I-I'm okay…"

"I'm good!"

"Fit as a fiddle!"

Rainbow was pretty sure she heard Twilight say something else, but her voice died in the wind. "WHAT?" she screamed. But all she could hear was the thunder, wind, and lightning.

"Dashie!"

Rainbow's ears perked up in attention. "P-Pinkie Pie?" She turned her head this way and that until she spotted a pink and yellow blur ten feet away. Relief flooded through her now that she spotted one of her friends safe and sound. "Pinkie, come here!"

Pinkie galloped over to her, soaked from top to bottom. She leaned against Rainbow and looked up at her with a wobbly smile as she shivered. "Y-Y-You okay?"

Rainbow wrapped a wing around her and gave her a cocky grin. "I'm still here, aren't I? What did Twilight say just now?"

Pinkie Pie sniffled. "I dunno. All I heard her say was "Town Hall".

Rainbow Dash frowned and looked ahead. She could just barely make out the building's faint outline in the distance. "Well, she's lost her marbles if she thinks we're gonna get that far. I can barely see it now!"

"Aw, c-come on, Rainbow! Where's your s-sense of adventure? Whaddaya say! Last one to Town Hall's a moldy carrot!"

The pegasus gazed at Town Hall once again and turned to Pinkie with a grin. "You're on!"

" _Winning only brings the worst ego flit conceit…._ "

Both mares jumped. "Who-who said that?" Rainbow demanded.

"…Maybe that was only the wind?" Pinkie asked after a while.

Rainbow Dash frowned. "I doubt it. I _think_ we're being _watched._ "

"You mean we have a stalker? Oooh! That's so _cool!_ "

"What?! No it's not! It's creepy!" Rainbow raised her head. "You hear that, bub? It's _creepy!_ So why don't you turn tail while you have the chance—or pony up and show yourself!"

"Friend or foe?" Pinkie called out as Rainbow sneaked over to a nearby bush. It rustled slightly; Rainbow smirked victoriously and pulled the leaves back.

"Gotch—wh…what…"

Rainbow felt a knot in her stomach as she watched a unicorn's supercharged magic grow and form into a threatening ball just above her horn. The pony opened her eyes and locked gazes with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, a chilling smile creeping across her face. Rainbow only had the time to shift her panicked gaze to her friend. "PINKIE, RU—"

 _ **BOOM!**_

"….Did you hear that?" Fluttershy whispered, peeking out the window.

Rarity was busy gathering extra blankets and health kits that she had stored in her break room. Her horn was the only source of light in the pitch black boutique, due to the storm cutting the power out. "Hear what, darling?"

"I…I thought I heard a foal crying."

Rarity couldn't help but chuckle. "A foal? Out there, in this wretched storm?"

"Well…at least I _think_ it was a foal. I could've _sworn_ I heard somepony crying…"

Rarity looked up and nodded towards the window. "It might've been those branches, dear. It might sound like crying when they scrape together like that."

Fluttershy looked up at the colliding tree branches swaying in the wind and frowned. "Oh."

"Now let's stop thinking about creaking tree branches and start thinking about how to find our friends. Here you are…" Rarity levitated her saddlebag filled with neatly folded blankets onto Fluttershy's back. "Now all we need a flashlight helmet for you and and an extra umbrella, just in case. I think I might have those in my room…" The unicorn turned and started up the stairs, the bright light fading away as she went higher up.

"R-Rarity…"

"You know, it's awfully lucky we both managed to find my boutique, Fluttershy!" Rarity called over her shoulder. Rarity's aura disappeared upstairs, leaving Fluttershy alone in a blanket of darkness. Her eyes darted around nervously as the noises of the storm grew louder outside. Fluttershy took a few calming breaths to calm her pounding heart. She wasn't a fan of the dark, not at all. And even though she knew Rarity was just upstairs, she felt more alone than ever.

 _Cr-ee-e-k_

The Pegasus jumped and whirled around. "H-Hello? R-Rarity? I-Is that you?" A few more moments of silence followed by the occasional clap of lightning greeted her ears. Fluttershy closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Then she felt a hoof on her shoulder.

Fluttershy jumped and screamed until she saw Rarity beside her with a light helmet on her head. "Goodness gracious, Fluttershy!" the unicorn gasped, holding a hoof to her chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Fluttershy;s eyebrows furrowed and her lower lip curled into a pout. " _I_ almost gave _you_ a heart attack? You were the one sneaking around!"

" _Sneaking around?_ " Rarity repeated with a snort. "Didn't you hear me coming?"

"Yes—well—maybe, but—"

" _Join in our utopia, come out of the dark…"_

Fluttershy's blood went cold, and Rarity turned around with a puzzled frown. "What—" Her sentence was cut off at the sight of a blinding blue light.

 _ **BOOM!**_

"It's really coming down out there," Applejack observed, gazing out of one of Town Hall's windows.

Twilight paced back and forth a few feet away looking ticked off. "'Meet us at Town Hall,' I said. I said that _three times._ But do they _listen?_ No! Now they're probably lost in that horrible storm!" She stopped short and turned to her farm bound friend. "We have to go back out there. There's no telling what kind of danger they could be in!"

Applejack gave a firm nod and replaced her half-dry Stetson back on her head. "Though, I have to say, Twilight," she grunted, pushing the door open. "Finding them in this storm'll be like findin' a needle…in a…haystack?"

The two ponies stood in shock at the sight before them. Ponyville was as still as a photograph. Broken-off tree branches, flowers and debris scattered the ground, and the houses and buildings were finally visible, for the rain had stopped.

Drops of water ripping off leaves and the occasional sounds of frogs and crickets in the distance sounded eerie compared to the sounds thunder, wind, and lightning that had mysteriously vanished.

"Uh…did the storm just…pass?" Applejack asked in disbelief. "But it was gettin' worse just a second ago!"

"That _is_ strange," Twilight said, looking up at the starry sky above. "I thought Rainbow Dash said they couldn't control it. And I don't see any pegasi up there, do you?"

"Nope. But I 'spose it don't matter how it happened, if it means finding our friends." Twilight looked at Applejack, the moonlight breaking through the farm pony's mane. "I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth!"

Twilight laughed lightly. "No, I can't say you are. And neither am I. How about we go check where the tree fell and work our way up from there?"

"That sounds…" Applejack trailed off her sentence, her mouth hanging wide open.

Twilight quirked an eyebrow. "What?" She followed Applejack's shocked gaze and gasped. There, about fifteen feet away, sat a large woven basket, filled with four sleeping foals. Two pegasi, a unicorn, and an earth pony. An adult unicorn stood next to the basket, her magic illuminating her smirking face.

"G-Girls?!" Twilight squeaked.

Starlight held a hoof to her lips. "Shhhh. We mustn't wake them."

Applejack refrained herself from lunging at the ex-mayor , her emerald eyes blazing with fury. "What did you do to them!?"

Starlight cackled at the mares' distress. "Oh! Oh, the looks on your faces! Now I know, this will be worth my while!"

Twilight fixed her nemesis with a glare, knowing she had the upper hoof in the situation. "What do you want, Starlight?"

"What do I want? Twilight, Twilight, Twilight…." Starlight clicked her tongue while slowly shaking her head. "I thought you were smarter than that. I want _revenge,_ of course. But I'm here mostly for justice. I'm here to right all of the wrongs you've caused me."

" _You_ were in the wrong," Applejack muttered, glancing at the basket. "We did what we had to do. You can't force ponies to have the same cutie mark. You just can't."

Starlight gripped the basket with her magic, making Twilight and Applejack tense up. The pink unicorn gave them a look of warning. " _Don't_ …interrupt me." When the two stayed silent, Starlight continued. "So I found my way out of the caves, and began to do research on all of you. And I began to watch all of you….study you." Starlight grinned upon Twilight's confused expression.

"Remember that lunch you had at Canterlot with all of your _dear old friends?_ For a Princess, you should really be more aware of your surroundings."

Twilight's eyes widened at the memory. _She's been right under our noses this whole time?_

"Let them go, Starlight," Twilight said, fighting to keep her voice steady. "Let them go, and I'll go with you instead. You'll still have me!"

"Twilight, _no!_ " Applejack hissed.

"Please, A.J.," Twilight whispered back. She didn't know how Starlight had managed to turn her friends back to foals or why, but if Applejack could get them to Princess Celestia, she might be able to change them back.

"They've done nothing to you….please!"

Starlight snorted. "Nothing, huh? _Quite_ the contrary." Her grin faded into a distasteful frown as she looked down at the sleeping foals. "Observe. Rarity and Rainbow Dash's attitudes made my villagers think they could stand up to me! They've never back talked, they never rebelled, never gave me any sass until they opened their mouths! Pinkie Pie questioned and insulted my ethics since she first stepped hoof in my town! And _Fluttershy_ … _Dear Fluttershy…_ she betrayed me. You may be my primary target, Twilight Sparkle, but your friends deserve every bit of punishment you're going to get, including Applejack."

Twilight stepped back and unconsciously raised a protective wing in front of Applejack. "…Punishment?"

The aura from Starlight's horn grew brighter. "If you had no problem taking everything I've worked for away from me," Starlight said with a dark smile, "Then you shouldn't have a problem spending your lives helping me restore it."

Twilight didn't feel the force of magic striking her. Instead, she saw images. Flashing images of her life, going backwards.

Tantabus, meeting Starlight, her fight with Tirek, her friends in the human world, the Tree of Harmony, her friends in the human world, her Princess Transformation, The mirror pool, Trixie's return, The Crystal Empire, Her brother's wedding, trying to stop time, Discord, her first Gala, Pinkie sense, moving a Dragon from his cave, Nightmare Moon, the Elements of Harmony, meeting her friends, meeting Princess Celestia, her Canterlot friends, her cutie mark, Spike, Cadence, Shining Armor, Mom, Dad….blank.

Starlight smiled victoriously as she leaned down and scooped up baby Twilight Sparkle and rocked her. "Don't worry, Twilight. I'll teach you about what it means to have the same talent as everypony else. You'll be much happier, I promise." She gently placed the tiny purple unicorn in the basket with the others.

Then she turned to the last foal on the ground, cooing softly. Starlight chuckled and picked her up. "And you, Applejack…I'll be the mother you never had." The foal looked up at her with curious eyes; then she playfully stuck her tongue out.

The older pony smiled wryly. "And I'll teach you how to be a lady too." She picked up the basket with her magic and let Applejack ride on her back as she took the exiting path. "You're a bit rough around the edges for me."


	2. Chapter 1 - Motherhood

"Your name is Moonlight Glimmer."

"Twailyt!"

"No," Starlight said firmly. "That's not your name anymore. You are Moonlight Glimmer."

"Twailyt!"

" _Moonlight._ "

" _Twailyt!_ "

Starlight sighed in frustration at the little foal in her hooves. They had been at this for over an hour now—with all of her children. She had tried calling Rarity Radiance, Applejack Sunflower, Rainbow Dash Prism, Fluttershy Buttercup, and Pinkie Pie Pearlie, but none of the pint sized fillies accepted their new names, and kept insisting of their own.

"Let's try again, _Moonlight._ "

"Twi!" Pinkie Pie shouted gleefully from the floor. Starlight glared at her as she laughed and clopped her hooves together. Twilight glanced down at Pinkie and then turned back to Starlight with a victorious smirk, pleased that someone agreed with her.

"Quiet, Pearlie!" Starlight scolded. "Moonlight, mommy's giving you a new name and a new life. Can you at least _try_ to accept it? For me?"

Twilight gave her a curious look and pointed a hoof at her. "Mommy."

 _Well, at least she gets that part right._

" _Yes._ And mommy wants the _best_ for you, Moonlight dear." Twilight sill looked confused, causing Starlight to groan. "Never mind. I'll just coach you after lunch." The mare set the foal down on the floor and crossed over to her newly made kitchen.

During her exile, she had spent more than enough time in the caves. Every tunnel there was, she had explored. Before she acted upon her revenge, she decided to make a home here in the caves. After working a series of odd jobs for two months, she had enough to buy food, drinks, furniture, and cooking supplies. This part of the mountain had so much space, Starlight was able to make an entire home here—fit for a mare and six fillies.

Starlight went over to her little kitchen area and lifted the lid off her pot of oatmeal. Being the brilliant unicorn she is, Starlight had figured out a way to power electricity through the mountains. _But then, is there anything I can't do?_ She thought smugly, stirring the oatmeal with a wooden spoon.

Twilight sat at the entryway, her ears flat against her head. She still felt guilty about disappointing her mommy like that. She didn't mean to.

"Uh! Uh!"

She turned her head and saw Rainbow Dash struggling to her hooves and stumbling across the large wool carpet before falling down on her flank. Attempting to walk was the main activity for them for some time now. Seeing how Twilight had mastered it just a few days ago, the others wanted to join in on the fun. Applejack smirked at her cyan sister and stood up slowly, carefully walking almost three feet across the carpet.

The little pegasus scrunched her nose at the smug earth pony and raised her back, buzzing her tiny wings. She stuck out her tongue as the hovered across the room.

"No fair!" Applejack shouted, pointing at Rainbow. "Cheated!"

"Nuh-uh!" Rainbow said, landing back on the ground. Applejack toddled over to her and poked her in the chest.

"Uh huh. _No wing._ "

Fluttershy quietly watched the scene from her little corner. She sat with her legs tucked underneath her, her wings tightly folded at her sides. She wished she had the courage to walk too. She tried it once, but then she fell down and hurt her bottom. She had given up on the idea all together because of that painful fall. Maybe it was for the best.

"Girls, time for lunch!" Starlight called, levitating six bowls of oatmeal. She led the foals over to the large dining table, complete with six high chairs on one regular chair for herself. After she sat each bowl down, she helped the little fillies into their chairs. When she tried to help Applejack, she shook her head vigorously. "Me!" she insisted, and hoisted herself up. Starlight had to chuckle. _She's certainly headstrong, even as a foal…_

With everyone properly seated, the foals started to dig in…all except Rainbow Dash. Starlight sighed, knowing what was coming. _Not again…_ Nevertheless, she walked over to the little pegasus with a kind smile. "Eat, Prism. You want to grow up to be a nice and tall mare when you grow up, don't you?"

Rainbow Dash shook her head.

Starlight used her magic to scoop up some oatmeal with a small spoon and held it to Rainbow's mouth. "Come on, Prism. Open up~!"

Rainbow turned her nose up. "No!"

Starlight raised an un amused eyebrow. 'No' seemed to be her favorite word lately. "Prism-"

"Wainbow!"

Not this again.

" _Prism,_ " Starlight repeated. "Eat your oatmeal."

She prodded the spoon against the foal's mouth, but she pushed it away with both hooves. "No, no, no!"

"Noooo!" Pinkie giggled.

"No," Rarity said, trying out the word.

"Pearlie, Radiance, stop that!"

"Nope!" Applejack declared.

Flutershy tilted her head to the side. "No?" she asked, looking to Twilight.

The unicorn nodded. "No."

Starlight threw her a look of warning. "Quiet, all of you! Moonlight, you know better!"

Pinkie Pie pointed at the sulking filly. "Twai!" Then she pointed at Applejack. "Ay jay!"

"Wawity!" Rarity screeched.

"Shy," Fluttershy whispered.

"Those are _not_ the names I've given you!" Starlight growled, nearly at the end of her rope. How did they still know their names?

She had wiped their memories completely, she made sure of that! She could think of no other explanation other than what she had read about them.

Surprise, surprise, they turned out to be the original bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, Loyalty, and Magic.

 _A bunch of hogwash if you ask me._

Starlight was sure that this process would work, but it almost seemed that they were….resisting somehow, without even fully knowing it. She would have to read up on the matter further. She fixed the little girls with a stern glare. "All of you be quiet and eat your oatmeal, or there will be _no desert!_ "

A blanket of silence fell over the table as the foals turned to their mother in shock. Starlight smirked inwardly. _Gotcha._

Rainbow Dash, however, was quick to recover and knocked over her bowl of oatmeal in a tantrum, getting the sticky substance all over Starlight's coat. "Uuugh…"

Rainbow screamed at the top of her lungs and pounded her hooves against her little white tray. Rarity looked at her and started crying in result.

"Oh, come on…"

It wasn't long before the others joined in on the crying, their high pitched screams piercing Starlight's ears. She rubbed her temple in exhaustion and moaned. "Please…stop crying…Rainbow Dash…."

Instantly, Rainbow stopped screaming and sniffled. Starlight blinked. "Oh, for…" She turned to the other crying foals and sighed. " _Fine._ Have it your way. Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. Stop crying."

It both relieved and disappointed Starlight when the foals fell silent. Her nose suddenly wrinkled when she smelled something foul in the air. "What in Equestria _is_ that?" The foals looked at Pinkie Pie, who smiled at Starlight innocently.

"Ugh! _Gross!_ "

After three more diaper changes, Glimmer had settled in her rocking chair with a book while the foals played together on the carpet beneath her. It had been eight weeks since Starlight whisked the elements away.

The Princesses have been frantically searching the country for some time now—she knew this because of the newspapers she picks up on her weekly trip to the market a few hundred miles from the mountain—which would be a problem, if you didn't fully grasp the benefits of teleportation.

She knew the caves would be the only safe place to raise her children…away from the constant searching of the royal guard. She lifted her gaze from the page and smiled. Starlight had had a very vague idea on who were the youngest and the oldest of the six, so she sat back and let them decide on their own; how they reacted towards each other might give her some leeway.

Twilight of course, showed great intellect and served as a sort of guide for the rest. Rainbow Dash was also protective, but teasing. Her maturity was at an all time low, according to Starlight. But she _wa_ showing early signs of flight already.

Rarity almost had the same level of attitude as Rainbow Dash, but more toned down in a way. It was more sass than full on rebellion. Pinkie Pie is the most playful one, always giggling and smiling, and all the girls seemed to protect her more, comfort her more. Applejack threw the least tantrums and cried very little. She's a happy carefree baby, but she was also very independent. And then there's Fluttershy. As Starlight predicted, she was the quietest, but spent a lot of time playing with the others, and giggled like any child would when she was having fun.

Starlight tapped her chin. She decided to make Twilight the oldest, since she would be her _special_ pupil. Applejack would be next, followed by Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and then Pinkie. She smiled to herself and focused back on her book.

Twilight had toddled over in curiosity and stood on the tips of her hooves to see what her mommy was reading. Starlight noticed this and scooped her up with one hoof and placed her on her lap. Twilight stared at the left page of the book and looked up. This area of the caves had a narrow opening in the high ceiling, revealing the starry night sky above. Twilight looked at the book and then pointed at the sky. "Moon!"

The corners of Starlight's mouth lifted. She's intelligent alright. That would had to be fixed soon. "Yes…that's the moon…despite my efforts to name you after it. But…I suppose it's the one thing I'll let you keep….Twilight Moonlight Glimmer."

The baby cooed and nuzzled Starlight's chin. The mare's smile faltered for a few seconds. She remembered the distraught parents and family members that the girls were forced to leave behind.

 _It's for the best,_ Starlight told herself. _It's for a good cause. Let them mourn. When eveypony thinks they're dead, what better time to come out with my six new successors?_ Starlight closed her eyes and smiled. _My time is now._

Starlight finally managed to tuck in every one of her daughters in their cribs. Being a mother was much harder than she anticipated. She lost countless hours of sleep trying to get just one foal to sleep; and if she accomplished that, another foal would start crying. Not to mention all the accidents she had to put up with. It was enough to pull her hair out. The screaming, the feeding, the burping, the nursing. At one point, Starlight began to think it was all a lost cause.

But then, by looking at their sleeping faces, she knew that it would be worth it someday.

She peered down at Rainbow Dash, all snug in her pale grey blanket. _Sleep peacefully, demon child,_ she thought. It might be a bit rash to think about, but she knew she had to keep an eye on that one. If she dared to rebel even more than she does now…that could be dangerous. These weren't ordinary ponies after all. _But then I'll be able to give her more proper punishments when she grows older,_ Starlight thought with a smirk.

"Sweet dreams, girls," Starlight whispered, walking in between the two rows of cribs, three on each side.

" _Life is so grand in Our Town…"_


	3. Old Habits Die Hard

" _She's gettin' worse."_

" _I know."_

" _Her eyes…they're gettin' weaker."_

" _We ain't sendin' her away."_

" _I didn't say that. We just need to take care during the winter. We need all the will power we can get keep the farm runnin.'"_

"… _It ain't fair, Big Mac. We already lost Applejack…we can't lose Granny too."_

" _I know."_

" _I miss her, Mac. I wish she were here. I wish Granny could see her…one last time."_

" _So do I, Apple Bloom….she'd be so proud of you…I know she would."_

Applejack blinked and looked over at Rainbow Dash, who sliced a hoof across her neck and lolled her tongue out.

A smirk threatened to take over her whole face. "Now, let's recite the Code of Equality, shall we?"

The girls nodded simultaneously before chanting, "To success is to fail. Choose Equality as your special talent. Be your best by not being your best. You are no better than your sisters."

Starlight nodded in approval, a smile gracing her features. "Excellent! That concludes today's lesson, children. You may go and prepare for play time now." Applejack slid out of her desk and fell in line with the rest of her sisters and looked straight ahead with stoic expressions as they marched to their room.

As soon as Rarity closed the bedroom door behind them, the room exploded with its natural chaos. Pinkie gleefully jumped across all of the beds, Twilight retrieved her book from under her pillow, and Fluttershy and Rarity gathered as many dolls as they could for today's play time.

Rainbow Dash came up from behind and pulled her by the tail with her mouth. Applejack squealed as she slid backwards across the floor. She counter-attacked tackling her sister to the floor and tickling her sides. Rainbow squeaked and squirmed, tears of laughter streaming down her cheeks.

Playtime was Applejack's favorite time of day. Ever since school started last year, Starlight had become more and more strict with them. More rules had been inflicted; how to sit, how to eat, how to act. Applejack didn't mind so much. Whatever rule that mom had inflicted, she thought, was for a good reason. Rules were meant to protect, weren't they?

The filly looked up from under her bangs at Twilight, who was flipping to a page she had saved from the day before. A knot tied in her stomach at the reminder of the secrets they kept.

"Hey doofus!"

Applejack looked up and realized that the room was now half empty, with the exception of her, Rainbow, and Twilight.

" _Doofus,_ " Rainbow repeated, standing over her. "Wake up! You ready to play our game or what?"

Applejack let herself smile and quickly got to her hooves. "I was just thinking about how sorry I'd feel for you when you'll have to eat my space dust for dinner!"

Rainbow Dash snorted. "As _if!_ Twilight, you sleep walking too? Let's go already!"

 _ **ELEMENTS OF HARMONY PRESUMED DEAD AFTER FIVE YEARS OF SEARCH**_

Starlight read the headline for the fifteenth time before the news could properly register in her mind. She knew that this would happen overtime, she thought about it every night since the girls were just babies. Her eyes scanned over the article.

 _The funerals will be held in Ponyville, the town that the Elements held dear to their hearts. Equestria and lands beyond expressed their sorrow and grief for our young heroes. Families and friends are in deep mourning over the courageous young mares, and will be attending this special funeral with heavy hearts. Their mysterious disappearance five years ago still has ponies talking. Some assume they had gone on some sort of adventure, as they normally did back in the day, and were not able to return; others insist they were fillynapped, or threatened. Since everypony was confined to their homes because of the storm that fateful night, nopony can really know for sure what exactly happened._

" _The last time we saw Dash, we were trying to push the storm clouds away from the buildings," Thunderlane recalls. "After that…I wish I would've told her how great a leader for the team she was."_

 _The families living in Ponyville have declined to speak to any reporters, understandably so. Some special performances will be held—_

Starlight stopped reading and released a huge amount of breath. " _Finally!_ " she exclaimed.

"Finally what?"

"Gah!"

Starlight whirled around and found Pinkie standing there with a wide grin. "Finally what?" the filly repeated cheerfully.

Starlight quickly hid the newspaper behind her back with her magic. "Uhh, finally… _finally,_ the weekend is almost here!" she said with a nervous chuckle.

Pinkie gave her a curious look. "But don't we have school on the weekends too?"

Starlight giggled uncharacteristically as she began to push Pinkie out the door. "Well, uh, I might consider having two days off each week, heh. Now why don't you run along and, and play with your sisters, hmm?"

"O-Oh. Oka—"

Starlight quickly shut the door behind the filly and sighed. Her plan had worked. It worked, without a hitch, and she still had plenty more to do, but…as far as Equestria is concerned, their precious heroes were deceased. Yet…somehow, she didn't feel like jumping for joy. She thought she'd be… more thrilled. _Maybe I'm just tired._ Starlight skimmed over the article once more, catching the words 'Spike', 'Discord,' and 'Anguish' and 'Wrath'. She rolled her eyes, folding up the newspaper and hiding it under her mattress along with the rest. She didn't have time to read what the spirit of chaos had to say this time. She had work to do.

"Twilight, Twilight, Twilight!"

The purple unicorn grunted and finally looked up from her book. "What?"

"Whatcha doin'~?"

"I'm reading, Pinkie."

"Oh." Pinkie shuffled on her hooves before beaming. "Wanna play with me?"

"Not now, Pinkie."

"Why?"

"Because I'm getting really far in this book." Her tone shifted a little, due to her excitement. "Now that I can read, I think I'll try this…teleportation spell!"

Pinkie looked at the book's pages curiously. "What's…tal..talla…"

"Teleportation is magically appearing from one place to another without walking or flying—but _you'd_ have no use for it."

Pinkie's face scrunched up. "Yes I would!"

"No you wouldn't. You're an earth pony, you can't teleport if you wanted to!"

Pinkie stomped her hoof. "Yes I can! If you can do it, then so can I!"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "You're really being a pest. I'm not telling you that you can't do it because of spite—I'm telling you because you really can't!"

"I can TOO!" Pinkie huffed. "And you _are_ spiting me! You're _always_ spiting me!" With that, she turned and stomped away.

"I can teach you how to read paragraphs if you want!" Twilight called after her.

Still stomping, Pinkie simply turned her head and blew a raspberry in her sister's direction.

"Beep boop beep! AAAH, WATCH OUT! IT'S A SPACE ALIEN!"

"Keep it together, Hurricane!"

Pinkie blinked. "Huh?"

Rainbow Dash and Applejack stampeded towards her, their upper and lower parts of their bodies sticking out of the cardboard boxes they were wearing. They also had silver strainers on their heads as helmets. "Outta the way, space alien!" Rainbow yelled as they whizzed past Pinkie.

She turned around and grinned at them. "Can I play too?"

"No way, you're too little!" Rainbow called back before blasting off.

Applejack glanced back at Pinkie and shrugged.

"Sorry, Pinks. You'd only get hurt!"

Pinkie scowled as her sisters continued to play their space game without her. "We're the same age!" she cried.

A soft sweet voice spoke up. "You can play with _us,_ Pinkie." Pinkie turned and saw Fluttershy and Rarity sitting a few feet away with their little grey tea set.

Pinkie squeed and trotted over to them. "I can? You really mean it?"

Rarity nodded and held out one of their dolls. "Here. You can be Mrs. Twinklebottom."

Pinkie happily accepted the doll and plopped down on the floor. "It's nice to know that my NICEST SISTERS want to play with me," Pinkie said loudly.

"Are we really your nicest sisters, Pinkie?" Fluttershy asked, smiling hopefully.

"Uh huh. Twilight says I can't tallaport and Rainbow Dash and Applejack wouldn't let me play space cadet! At least A.J. was kinda sorta nice about it, but Rainbow called me an alien!"

"That's not very nice," Fluttershy said with a slight frown.

"I _know!_ It makes me so mad; I just wanna…hit her!"

Rarity grinned. "Yeah, we should hit her!"

Fluttershy cleared her throat. "It's not nice to hit."

"I know. But it still makes me want to though. What are you guys playing?"

Rarity held up her doll with her magic. "We're playing house. I just invited Fluttershy and her baby to my house so that they can have tea with me and my baby."

Pinkie looked around at the other dolls, but they were all the same; grey ponies with stringy-rug like manes stapled to their scalps. "Uhh…how can you tell which is which?"

Rarity held her 'baby' close. "Mothers' intuition."

The pink filly didn't know what that meant, but went along with it. Fluttershy stroked her doll's mane thoughtfully. "If I had a daughter, I'd name her Posey, just like my doll."

"That's pretty," Rarity complimented as her blue aura closed around the teapot. "Anypony want some tea? I made it myself."

"Thank you," Pinkie said politely as Rarity poured her a pretend cup of tea. She sat with silent satisfaction as Rarity poured more cups. "And now," The unicorn announced after they had finished their tea, "Fluttershy and Posey goes home."

Fluttershy walked her doll across the floor. "Bye everypony!" she made Posey say. Rarity rested her hoof on her chin. "I wish I actually had a wand. Then I could turn Fluttershy into a pony—so she could dance at the ball with a handsome prince!"

Fluttershy nodded.

Pinkie gasped suddenly. "I know! Wait here!" She bounced up and raced to the kitchen. She went over to the counter and searched for a large fork or spoon that went in a straight line to serve as a wand. She stood up on her hind legs opened one of the silverware drawers and stuck her hoof inside with her tongue sticking out.

Then something caught her eye. It was that fancy looking stick that mommy had brought home about a month ago. It hung horizontally on the kitchen wall. _The perfect wand!_ Pinkie thought.

Of course, mommy had warned the girls to never touch it ever—but she would only borrow it for a little while. Then she would put it back. Rarity the fairy Princess needed a wand after all! With her mind made up, she grabbed a nearby chair and pushed it under the stick and carefully, carefully, climbed on top. Pinkie paused for a moment when the chair wobbled slightly, afraid she might fall.

"Pinkie, what's taking so long?" Rarity called from the living room.

"Be right there, Rares!" Gathering up her courage, she quickly reached up and lifted the stick from its hinges and jumped down from the chair. She took the stick in her mouth as she pushed the chair back to where it was before. "Dish ish lihta den ah tot," she said to herself, her mouth full of wood.

She proudly made her way back to the living room—this, however, didn't go unnoticed by Applejack, who saw Pinkie with the stick, her green eyes almost bulging out of her head. "Pinkie!" She fell over sideways, and tumbled out of her box when it hit the floor.

She scrambled to her hooves and lunged forward, grabbing the other end of the stick. "Pinkie, put that back right now!" The stick slid out of her mouth, but Pinkie grabbed the stick again, this time with her hooves. "I'm only borrowing it!" Pinkie argued as the girls had a tug of war with the stick.

"It doesn't matter! Give it!"

"No!"

"Stop pulling, you'll break it!"

"No I won't! You will!"

Applejack gritted her teeth in frustration. Knowing this was getting her nowhere, she suddenly thrust the stick in Pinkie's direction, which threw her off balance. Applejack then pulled back, but was not prepared for the sheer force that came with it. She stumbled backwards and fell against the wall.

 _Snap!_

Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and stared wide eyed at the misfortune that befell on Applejack. The blonde filly looked down at the floor in dismay and saw that the beautiful stick had snapped in two.

"O-Oh…oh no," Pinkie half-whispered.

Twilight rushed over, her expression horrified. "Applejack, what—"

"I'm sorry!" Pinkie blurted. "I-It was an accident! I-I took the stick from the wall and Applejack tried to take it, but I—"

"Oh, _nice going,_ Pinkie!" Rainbow Dash said angrily.

"Why did you _do_ that?" Rarity moaned in complete distress.

"B-B-But I—"

"N-No, it was…it was my fault," Applejack said, slowly getting up from the floor. "I used too much force when I pushed it forward and back…I was just trying to put it back…"

Twilight frantically began to pace in a circle. "Okay. Okay, we can fix this. We can either try to glue it back together or make an exact replica of the stick before playtime's over." She glanced at the clock on the wall and turned to the others with a crazed grin. "We've got less than three minutes!"

Applejack shook her head. "No, Twi, it's okay. I'll just tell mom it was an accident, and—"

"No way!" Rainbow Dash interrupted fiercely. "There's no way you're telling mom about this!"

"Why not?"

"Because you'll get in trouble," Fluttershy said, her eyes filled with worry.

"Well, yeah, for a little while, but—"

Twilight suddenly stopped pacing and poked Applejack in the chest. " _But nothing_. We're gonna stick together on this, Applejack. No matter what, nopony spills the beans about this stick. Got it?"

Everyone else nodded their heads and murmured in agreement.

Applejack shifted uncomfortably. "Guys—"

"What do we do with the stick?" Rarity asked.

"Starlings~!"

The girls broke out into cold sweat at their mother's voice.

"Oh no!" Fluttershy gasped. "It's mom!"

"Twilight, what do we do?" Applejack whispered.

Twilight set her jaw. "Pinkie, Fluttershy, go distract her. The rest of you guys help me get this to the kitchen!"

Pinkie and Fluttershy raced to the back of the living room and stopped Starlight at the doorway. "Mom! Uhh, doesn't it look like a beautiful day?" Fluttershy asked, pointing up at 'skylight'.

Starlight looked up and nodded. "Yes, it does." She tried to move past the girls, but they quickly blocked her path and pulled on her legs.

"Mommy, why is the sky blue?"

Starlight gave Pinkie an odd look. "Because it reflects the ocea—"

"Where does the moon go when the sun rises?"

"I'd rather no—"

Fluttershy tugged on Starlight's tail. "Mom, how old are you?"

"Fluttershy, a lady never reveals how old they are."

"Why?"

"Because it's not appropriate."

"Why?"

Starlight sighed. "Because it just isn't, Fluttershy. Now if you girls will excuse me, I have lunch to prepare!"

She broke free of her daughters' grasp and stepped into the living room. Fluttershy gave Pinkie a frantic look. Thinking on a dime, Pinkie darted forward and threw herself in front of Starlight. "Mommy! Where do foals come from?"

Starlight's mouth fell open in shock. "U-Uh…uhhh…." Just then Twilight and Rainbow Dash ran in, giving their sisters a quick wink.

"Hey mom!" Rainbow chirped.

Starlight grinned. "Ahaha…time for me to fix lunch!"

"We're going to get caught."

"No we're not."

"She's going to find out!"

"I'm scared."

" _I'm_ trying to sleep!"

"How can you sleep at a time like this?"

"Guys, shut up!"

It was well into the afternoon, and all the girls were in their beds for the naptime—but no one could sleep, knowing that Starlight would soon find out that her special stick was gone. "What did you do with it?" Pinkie whispered.

"We tried to glue it, but it barely stuck together," Rarity said tiredly. "We stuck it under the sink at the last minute."

"This is all your fault, Pinkie," Rainbow muttered.

Pinkie's ears flattened against her head. "I'm sorry! I-I just wanted to prove that I _was_ big enough to play with you guys. I didn't mean for the stick to break. Maybe if I just told mommy that I grabbed it—"

"If you tell mom, I'll wring your neck!"

Pinkie fell silent and shrunk back against her pillow. Twilight sighed. "It was more my fault. I wasn't paying attention."

"No, it was mine," Rarity said. "I shouldn't have let her go into the kitchen."

"Mom's gonna hear us," Applejack warned.

Rainbow Dash groaned and fell on her back against the sheets, her forelegs spread apart in exhaustion. "We're in deep Horse apples, guys."

Twilight's eyes widened considerably. "Where did you hear that?"

"From mom, when she found out that Fluttershy wet the bed."

Fluttershy sat straight up, blushing bright pink. "N-No I didn't!" she squealed.

"Did too."

"Did not!"

"Be quiet!" Rarity hissed.

"And Horse apples isn't a bad word," Applejack whispered to Rainbow.

"Yes it is!"

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is no—"

The door flew open and banged against the wall, revealing infuriated Starlight. Fluttershy gasped and dove under the covers while the others sat there with their mouths open, frozen with fear.

At first, the girls thought their mother had heard them talking, but then she held up the two broken halves of the stick with her magic, making their hearts drop into their stomachs. Her eyes were ablaze with fury, and she spoke through clenched teeth. "Everypony…in the living room… _now._ "

Starlight paced back and forth in front of her daughters, who stood in a line with guilty expressions. Somepony had broken her staff of sameness. The only reminder of the best years of her life—gone. She had found it lying on the ground a month ago, and decided to take it as a souvenir. Her time as mayor truly changed her for the better, not to mention other ponies…and it would've lasted longer, if it weren't for the six ponies that stood before her now.

 _Another thing they've ruined for me,_ she thought bitterly. _History repeats. I can't believe I ever felt sorry for these brats in the first place…I've taught them everything, gave them everything…and this is what I get in return?_ She turned towards the fillies, watching them cower under her gaze. _If they've deceived me before, they'll deceive me again. But this time, I know how to weed them out…_

" _Somepony,_ " she seethed, "Had better tell me who's responsible for this. I thought I had made it clear for you to _never_ touch my staff. And what did you do?"

The girls lowered their heads.

"You deliberately disobeyed me! Now I want to hear it from you. Come on, now. Who broke my staff?"

The girls continued to look downward as the scraped their hooves against the floor. Starlight raised an eyebrow. "Fluttershy?"

The pegasus squeaked but kept her gaze to the floor. "I…I didn't do it, mommy."

Starlight straightened up. "So that's how it's going to be, hmm? Well, let me tell you something. Don't you dare try covering up for each other, because if you do, all of you will be punished. So I'm going to give you a choice. If you refuse to turn yourselves in, all of you will get a whipping."

The girls prevented themselves from gasping.

"But if you just come out and say it, the rest of you will be spared—although you'll still get a whipping—more painful than the one you'll get altogether. It's up to you. You have five seconds."

Applejack raised her head. The others threw her desperate side glances and shook their heads slightly. She gave them a look of apology and took a deep breath.

"Five…four…"

"It was me," Applejack croaked, stepping forward. "I broke your staff."

Pinkie stumbled forward and clutched at Starlight's leg. "It was an accident, mommy!" she cried. "Please don't hurt her! I—" Starlight pushed Pinkie off, sending her flat on her flank.

"Go to your room, girls," she whispered, her tone devoid of emotion.

Twilight cautiously stepped forward. "B-B-But, mom—"

"GO TO YOUR ROOM!"

The girls quickly scampered off, some crying openly. Starlight waited until she heard the door shut. She looked down at Applejack, who looked back up at her with solemn eyes.

"Go to my room and lie on your stomach on the bed. I'll be there shortly." Applejack nodded shakily and walked towards her mother's room, careful not to trip over her own trembling hooves.

Applejack buried her face in her fore hooves as she waited for her mother to come in the room. She never got a whipping before—none of the girls have. Their mother would often warn them about beating them whenever they got in trouble, but they would always end up standing in the corner or put in time out. But…never _this._ The wait was almost excruciating to Applejack. Minutes ticked by as she continued to lay there on Starlight's bed. She was sure the wait itself was the worst punishment; so much, she was starting to wish that her mom would come in already, and get it over with.

That was, until Starlight finally entered the room and closed the door behind her. _I take it back. I wish I was still waiting!_

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Starlight carrying a long, thin switch. She gulped and closed her eyes. "Applejack," Starlight began, "I'm very disappointed…and I'm also very saddened that I have to inflict this upon you. But I am your mother, and I expect you to obey me. She leaned down to Applejack's level, forcing the filly to open her eyes. "I won't be ignored, Applejack. Not by you, not by anypony. Let this be an example. Do you understand?"

Applejack nodded. "Y-Yes, ma'am." The little earth pony closed her eyes as Starlight moved behind her. After a few suspenseful seconds, the switch came down. Agonized screams echoed throughout the caves.

Fluttershy wringed out the washcloth and gently placed it on Applejack's back, making her wince. "Sorry," Fluttershy whispered.

The girls crowded around Applejack's bed, some blinking tears from their eyes. Applejack lay flat on her stomach, her back exposed. Red and black lacerations decorated her backside. Her bright red welts glinted in the sunshine from the window. Applejack clenched her teeth, trying to ignore the pain. "S'okay," she grunted.

Twilight's lips trembled while Pinkie sobbed into her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Applejack," the unicorn whispered. "I should've said it was me instead…"

Applejack shook her head.

"Why'd you do that, A.J.?" Rainbow squeaked, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes.

Fluttershy placed another wet washcloth on Applejack's back.

The injured filly sniffled. "I…I couldn't let any of you get punished for what I did," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her reddened eyes trailed to the ceiling. "I had to tell the truth…even if it meant I got hurt….I had to…"

Twilight then noticed something red poking out from one of the wash cloths. Thinking it was a pool of blood, she removed it to get a better look. Her breath hitched in her throat. "A-Applejack…"

Everyone gasped, their eyes glued to their sister's flank. Applejack blinked in confusion and craned her neck. Her eyes grew large at the sight of three apples imprinted on her flank. "… _Whoa, nelly!_ "

The girls stared at her like she grew wings. "Applejack…" Rainbow Dash rasped. "What happened to your _voice?_ "

Applejack paused, and replied with a southern drawl, "…I don't know."


	4. Fade Away

_The sun sinks behind dark misty mountains like a stone falls into water._

 _Two halves of the same mourn for their daughter._

 _For you were the sun that shined brighter every day_

 _Though it pleased a dark cloud to take you away._

 _Three sisters, three balloons, smile their best_

 _Because we know in our hearts, in heaven's arms you rest._

 _As long as laughter is heard, your spirit will never die_

 _From Maud, to you, my sweet sister Pinkie Pie._

"Whaddaya mean, you don't know?" Rainbow demanded.

"Yeah," Pinkie breathed, unable to take her eyes off the brand new cutie mark. "Fruit just appeared on your butt!"

Applejack swished her tail in slight annoyance. "It ain't my fault!"

Twilight winced slightly at the grammatical error. "Isn't."

"What?"

"It _isn't_ your fault. This calls for investigation." She pulled out a notebook and pencil and started writing things down.

Rarity slowly began to panic. "This is awful! What would mom say? You brought a-a _cutie mark_ into this house! This is a disgrace!" Applejack's ears flattened. "Maybe if I could make a dress or something to cover it up—"

"No," Applejack said firmly. She winced as she sat up, letting the washcloths slide off her back. "No more lies. It's best if I tell her. She's gonna find out sooner or later."

Fluttershy clutched at Applejack's foreleg. "B-But…what if mommy…"

Applejack fixed her with a glare, stopping Fluttershy short. "No more lies," she stated firmly. "Lyin's what got me into this in the first place…" She looked down at her cutie mark and turned away in shame. "M-Maybe she could fix it. Make it go away."

The girls stopped to consider this. Applejack was right. Maybe mom _could_ fix the cutie mark, and then everything would go back to normal. "I _guess_ so…" Twilight said carefully.

"What's it like?" Pinkie blurted suddenly. This time, no one reprimanded her for even entertaining the thought of having a cutie mark, because everyone was secretly thinking the exact same question.

Applejack thought for a moment. "I don't _feel_ any different. It's just there, I guess."

"Well, you sure talk funny," Rainbow said with a bit of humor.

Applejack gently rubbed her throat. "What happened to my voice? Maybe cutie marks automatically change your voice when you get it."

"Cutie mark….causes ….voice change…." Twilight murmured as she scribbled it down on the sheet of paper. She stopped and looked her sister up and down. "Other than those things, you haven't changed at all. Do you feel it on you?"

"Nope. I might have felt a weird tingle, but that was it."

Rarity squinted her eyes. "But what does it _mean?_ Three apples? That doesn't make any sense!"

"Mom says that ponies get a cutie mark when they know their special talent," Rainbow reminded them. "Maybe she's an apple taste tester."

"That's a terrible job!" Applejack said, wrinkling her nose. "I don't even like apples that much. They hurt my teeth!"

"Well your name _is Apple_ jack," Fluttershy suggested. "Maybe that means something?"

"That's actually a really good point, Fluttershy," Twilight said, jotting it down. "Maybe it's name related."

Pinkie beamed. "Oooh! Maybe my cutie mark will be something pink! _Sunsets_ are pink sometimes. Maybe my special talent is chasing sunsets! That'll be fun!"

"I'm good at…being shy," Fluttershy said.

"That's every day," Applejack pointed out.

"But that doesn't mean it would be any less good than yours."

Rainbow looked at her own flank and scratched her head. "Uhh…maybe I…discover rainbows? Or…dash to places?"

Rarity snorted. "Some talent."

"Like _your invisible_ talent? It'll be _rare_ alright!" Rainbow shot back.

Twilight stomped her hoof before Rarity could retort.

"That's enough! Don't you see what's happening? Look at us! Already, we're fighting over what kind of talent we'll have! Just like mom said we would!" The girls stood in shocked silence and lowered their heads. "Soon, we'll tear each other apart, our friendship ruined, and for what?" Twilight looked around at her downtrodden sisters. None of them dared to look her in the eye. "What?" Twilight repeated angrily.

A single tear ran down Fluttershy's cheek. "I don't know what came over me…"

"Cutie marks need to be stopped," Rarity murmured. "It turned us against each other in just minutes! I'm sorry, Rainbow."

"Girls! Time for dinner!"

Applejack felt her stomach churn. "I guess this is it, then."

"Don't worry A.J., Pinkie said as they made their way to the main room. "Mom's gonna fix everything, you'll see…then you'll be just like us again." Despite her positive words, her voice lacked its usual enthusiasm.

Rainbow narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "By the way…you don't think you're _better_ than us, do you?"

Applejack sighed. "No. In fact, I feel worse. But…who knows what this mark is capable of."

They trailed into the dining room where Starlight waited beside the dinner table. "Dinner's ready," she said, looking at her daughter's expectantly. The girls ducked their heads and looked anywhere but where their mother stood, cringing slightly.

Starlight frowned in confusion. "Is there something wrong?"

Her only response was the nervous shuffling of hooves. Starlight straightened up. "Is this because of what happened this afternoon? If so, do not go about thinking that punishing you is something I personally enjoy. I want you girls to know—"

"Mom," Applejack squeaked, stepping forward. "I did somethin' terrible."

Starlight's heart dropped into her stomach, and her coat turned three shades lighter. Her voice. Her southern accent. _How?_ "W…what did you say, Applejack?"

With watery eyes, Applejack turned to the side, revealing her cutie mark. Starlight gasped and stumbled backward into the dinner table, knocking over a bowl of lukewarm soup. The girls visibly flinched at the sound of glass breaking, shattering the atmosphere.

For the first time in years, Starlight felt cold hard fear wash over her. _It's not possible! I erased everything! EVERYTHING! Well…except for their knowledge of their own names…but even so, they shouldn't be able to get their cutie marks back! It can't be done!_ She nervously glanced at the other fillies, looking fearful and anxious. But most of all, they looked curious and expectant. The unicorn started to breathe heavily. _What am I going to do? I can't send her away or punish her… no, that would turn them against me…wait…_

Her eyes focused on Applejack and saw tears running down the filly's face. "Why are you crying, Applejack?"

The young girl looked up, her eyes filled with regret and shame. "I…I'm sorry, mama. I didn't mean to get… _this._ I don't know how it happened or why…I…I…." Applejack flung herself into Starlight's embrace and buried her face into her chest. Her tiny body wracked with sobs as she struggled with her words. "I'm sorry! P-Please don't kick me out! I don't wanna be different! I wanna be equal…I'm no better than anypony else…"

Starlight's eyes widened slightly. _Maybe…maybe this wasn't for naught after all…it seems I still have her mind…but what about her heart? If I can convince her…make her see…._

She gently pushed her daughter back and sat down on her haunches, gazing into Applejack's red puffy eyes. "Do you truly wish that, Applejack?" she asked seriously, her expression slightly hopeful. "Are you truly willing to accept Equality into your life? Do you see cutie marks as I see them?" She took Applejack's face in her hooves, brushing a strand of blonde hair out of her eyes. "I can help you, Applejack. My little Sunshine. But only if you are willing."

Applejack nodded quickly, her face still cupped in Starlight's hooves. "Yes, mama! Please! Fix this! I'm the same. I know I am! We all are…with cutie mark, we're different…and disagreeing…and fighting. I don't want any of that. And that's the _truth._ "

An odd sound cut through the atmosphere. Before Starlight could open her mouth, Pinkie squealed. "Look!"

Everyone gasped as the three apples on Applejack's flank morphed into an equal sign. Applejack's eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she collapsed to the floor.

" _Applejack!_ " the fillies shrieked.

Wasting no time, Starlight quickly scooped her up and placed the unconscious filly onto her back. "Twilight, keep them here," she called, racing inside her bedroom. She slammed the door behind her and locked it with her magic. She gently placed Applejack on her bed and felt for a pulse. Starlight sighed upon knowing that Applejack was still alive. _But still, her pulse is weak._ She paced around in a circle, breathing heavily. Beads of sweat started to form underneath her bangs.

 _That transformation nearly killed her. How is any of this possible? I mean…them being equal is what I've always dreamed of, but I'M supposed to give them the mark…when I decided they were ready. But she developed one of her own…._ She turned to look at Applejack's her eyes wide with realization. _Because she believed in it._ "Of course!" she said out loud, but made sure she kept her voice down.

"She gave herself the mark. Because she now knows the truth. But nopony can do that…although, she's still an Element of Harmony. And from what I've read, the Elements of Harmony can defy all odds, defeat all those in its path…." A slow smile crept across her face. _Except for me. I've changed their way of thinking, given them a new purpose in life…_

Starlight sat on the bed and stared at Applejack for a long time. After a while, she slowly reached down and stroked Applejack's cheek. … _But at what cost?_

"I'm scared, mommy," Rarity said quietly, her bread untouched. "What if she never wakes up?"

Starlight sighed, and rubbed her temple. She had been asked that difficult question several times. Not knowing the answer made it worse for all of them. Applejack had been unconscious for three days now; the only sign of her being alive was her slow and steady breathing. Not one twitch, grunt, or even a snore.

The dinner table had quieted down considerably, and even though that silence during meals was a rare treat, Starlight found herself almost missing the noise. "I don't know, Rarity," Starlight said tiredly. "Your sister's just…sleepy. That's all. Just think of it as a long nap."

Twilight silently stared at her mother from across the table. She couldn't help but feel a little uneasy when Starlight said that.

 _That's not true,_ a little voice said inside her head. _Not all of it, at least. Applejack's in a coma. You know what coma means. Tell them. Tell them what you've learned. Tell mom you can read, and write, and count, and spell. You can even sound out big words now!_

Twilight immediately pushed that thought to the back of her head.

 _I'm not better than anypony else. I'm average, and that's a great thing to be._

"I wish I could sleep for days," Rainbow Dash said, her voice cracking slightly. "Then I wouldn't be bothered all the time." She swung her hind legs under the table, swallowing the lump in her throat. "A.J.'s fine. You're all worry warts."

Fluttershy, who had been sitting silently throughout the entire dinner, pushed her plate back. "I'm not hungry," she murmured. Everyone watched as she quietly slid off her chair, pushed it under the table, and slunk to the girl's bedroom where Applejack slept.

"I'm done too," Twilight said succinctly, using her magic to clear her plate. Rainbow was quick to follow.

"Me too."

"Me too."

One by one, the girls picked up their still full plates and left the table, save Pinkie.

Starlight sighed heavily and buried her face in her hooves. _What am I doing?_ Although, she would like to think of her daughters the same, she couldn't deny that Applejack was the most level headed filly in the house. She was the glue that held the group together. Now she could see that her sisters were lost without her. Lost without each other.

Pinkie took one look at Starlight and got off her chair. She crossed over and placed her tiny hoof over her mother's. Starlight lifted her head and looked down at the five year old in surprise. A bright and reassuring smile adorned her little face. "Don't cry, mommy. Applejack's gonna get better soon. We just need to keep hoping. She wouldn't want us to be afraid. She'd want us to be strong…just like her."

Starlight stared at the pink filly, her mouth half open. Without warning, she pulled Pinkie to her chest and buried her face deep into her mane; she was ruining the filly's braids, but didn't care. Her body shook from holding back sobs.

Twilight stared at the cover of her book, the one she had kept secret for a whole year.

 _Star Swirl's Properties of Magic._

She inhaled through her nose and opened the secret door in the living room. While mom was still busy in the dining room with Pinkie, she took the opportunity to get rid of the book for good. As much as she cared for it, it made her an individual. Something that set her apart from the family. It was hard, not just for her, but the others as well. It was the only secret the little Glimmers had shared. They had learned to read and write, and it was the only colorful thing they owned. But after what happened with Applejack….

Twilight squeezed her eyes shut. _Books don't make me smarter at all. It only made me a terrible sister._

She opened her eyes and put the book back and concealed the opening for the last time. She gave a broken hearted sigh, but deep inside, she knew she had done the right thing.

 _Applejack galloped through the dark forest, bumping and crashing into twisted trees that towered high above her. The wind howled over her terrified cries for help. Up in the darkened sky, high above the branches, storm clouds swirled around above her like an upside down whirlpool. The outline of a terrifying creature with wings_ and _a horn appeared behind the thickness of the clouds and grew sharp teeth as it screamed her name. Applejack gasped in horror and ran faster, avoiding golden coins that scattered along the path. As she went deeper into the forest, her ears suddenly perked up._

" _Applejack!"_

 _She skidded to a halt and whirled around. "T-Twilight? Is that you!?"_

" _Applejack! Help me!"_

 _The filly reared back and ran towards Twilight's frightened voice. "I'm comin' Twilight!"_

 _The creature, the storm, nothing else mattered anymore. What mattered was getting to her sister. She came to a clearing that had a long cliff at the end of it. Twilight desperately hung on to the edge, her eyes wide with terror. "Applejack!" Her hooves began to slip, but Applejack dove forward and grabbed her hooves before she could go over the edge._

" _I gotcha, Twi," she grunted._

" _Applejack," Twilight strained, glancing over her shoulder at the bottomless void below. "What do we do?!"_

" _I'll think of somethin'. Don't you worry, sis. I'll get us out of this!"_

" _Are you crazy?!" Twilight shrieked._

 _Applejack was surprised by Twilight's words. "Whaddaya mean? If you got a better idea, I'd love to hear it!"_

 _Twilight looked at her, but this time it was not an expression of fear. It was almost like her face had been erased of all emotion. Before Applejack could question it, Twilight spoke, her eyes clouded. "We're slipping."_

 _Applejack blinked in confusion. "What?" Then, a split second later, Applejack said something else. But it wasn't her, it couldn't be. She didn't even feel her mouth open and her lips didn't form the words. She wouldn't, couldn't say those awful words, even if they had no chance of surviving. But it was her voice—and she did say it._

" _Let go."_

 _Applejack's scream lodged in her throat as Twilight tumbled down to the sharp rocks below._

" _Applejack!"_

"Applejack!" Twilight shook her crying sister. "Applejack, wake up! Wake up!"

Applejack's eyes snapped open and bolted upright, gasping. "It's alright!" Twilight said shakily, hugging the trembling filly. She made soothing sounds as she stroked Applejack's mane, which was damp with sweat. "It was just a dream. Only a dream."

Applejack slowly pulled back to look at Twilight. Her wide eyes drank in every bit of the little unicorn's face. "You're…you're okay?"

Twilight blinked and let out a laugh. "Of course I am! It's you we're so worried about!"

"…We?"

She looked past Twilight and saw the rest of her sisters standing two feet behind with frightful expressions. Applejack raised an eyebrow. "What's eating you guys?" The young girl was immediately blown back by joyous screams; countless hooves wrapped around her body, squeezing the life out of her.

"You're alive!"

"Are you okay?"

"CAN YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

"You must be awfully hungry!"

"Ugh! Give her _room,_ everypony!" Twilight grunted, squished in between Fluttershy and Pinkie. The fillies backed off sheepishly, but only by a few inches. .

Rainbow gave a weak grin. "You really had us going there, doofus," she said, messing up Applejack's bangs. "Don't ever do that again, okay?"

Applejack smirked and poked her in the chest. "Wouldn't count on it, brainless. But…what happened?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Lemme tell her!" Pinkie shouted before anypony else got a word in. "Remember when we accidently broke the stick and mom found out about it and everything?"

Applejack nodded.

"During naptime, you earned your cutie mark—"

"Cutie mark!?"

"Yeah, but after you told mom it disappeared! I guess she made it go away with her super eyeball powers, she's _that good!_ But then afterwards, you were like 'Uuuugh' and fell to the floor, and then _we_ were like 'Aaaaah!' And you didn't wake up for like three days—"

"Three days!?"

"Uh huh, and were really really scared!" She crawled forward and nuzzled her lovingly. "But you're okay now, Applejack. We knew we wouldn't lose you."

An odd expression etched the other girl's features. "What did you call me?"

The girls glanced at one another. "Uhhh….Applejack?" Pinkie repeated unsurely.

"What are you talking about? I'm not Applejack. I'm _Sunshine,_ remember?"

"You see, mom?" Rainbow said, gesturing to Applejack. "She's a total whack job!"

Starlight directed a stern gaze towards her. "What did I say about name-calling, Rainbow?"

"I'm sorry mom," Rainbow said in a high, somewhat pleading voice, "But she's _acting_ like one!"

"Why do you keep calling her that, mom?" Applejack asked. The other fillies noticed that the accent from before had gone away. "You know her name's Prism."

"Yow not making any _sense!_ " Rarity said exasperatingly, her lisp slipping in. "I'm stawting to think you hit yow head too hawd!"

"APPLEJACK," Pinkie shouted, gripping said girl's shoulders. "IT'S ME, PINKIE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORDS THAT ARE COMING OUT OF MY MOUTH!?"

Twilight irritably pulled her off. "She just lost her memory, she's not deaf!"

Starlight, who had been silently watching them, finally spoke. "And your mark?" she inquired carefully. "You don't find it…odd?"

Applejack glanced at her flank and looked up with a curious expression. "You mean this? I've always had this…didn't I?"

The other fillies stood in shocked silence. They had _never_ seen their sister this way. Her demeanor hadn't changed, but she had a very confused way about her. Applejack was still here, yet she wasn't. Some threw Starlight anxious looks, silently pleading her to do something— _anything_ to heal their sister.

Starlight ignored them all, and walked over to Applejack, her hoof caressing her face. "Sunshine…why don't you go to your room and lie down a bit, okay?"

Applejack stared at her mother and nodded. "…Okay. Maybe I do need a nap," she mumbled, rubbing her head as she turned away. "I don't feel too good…"

"It's official," Rainbow sighed as soon as she disappeared down the hall. "She's lost it."

Fluttershy's ears flattened against her head. "I feel so _bad_ for her…I wish there was something we could do…"

"There _is_ something we can do," Starlight said suddenly with her back turned to them.

The girls shared a surprised look. "There is?" Twilight asked hopefully.

"Yes." Starlight turned to face them, smiling oddly. "Come with me, children…single file…"

The girls formed a line behind their mother without hesitation and followed closely from behind. "We're going to mother's room," Fluttershy whispered. "We're barely allowed in _there._ "

"Then it _must_ be serious," Rarity said quietly.

"Don't worry," Rainbow said to her. "Mom always knows what to do."

Starlight opened her bedroom door, letting the girls inside. "Come right in, my starlings. Mommy's going to make everything better."

The girls drank in every bit of the room as much as they could. It was the only room in the cave that was off limits to them. It was quite simple with a bed, a side table, a closet, and a picture frame with an equal sign inside that hung above the bed. Everything about the room was very big and adult-like to them.

"It even _smells_ grown up," Rainbow whispered to Fluttershy.

Starlight wordlessly closed the door and turned to her five daughters, all lined up against the wall. She crossed over to them and let her eyes fall on each filly, one by one. "I've…I've been a good mother to you, haven't I?"

The girls shared confused looks, perplexed at their mother's odd question. "Well, of course you have," Twilight answered with a smile. "You're the best mom a girl could ask for!" The others nodded, backing up her words.

Starlight shifted slightly. "And…do you truly understand what it means to be Equal? Do you believe it with all your heart?"

"We understand, mommy," Fluttershy said. "We know that equality brings peace to the world, even though not everypony understands that yet."

"And that cutie marks cause hate," Rainbow added. "Nopony sticks up for each other."

"Differences bring selfishness," Rarity said. "Equalness helps us be better ponies."

Twilight nodded. "Everypony has the same talents, and the same strengths. It makes us stronger, being _together._ "

" _And,_ " Pinkie chimed in, "We always, always, _always_ greet each other with a grin, because it's so much better knowing that you're just like everypony else! That's something to smile about!"

A wide grin traveled over Starlight's face. "That's all I needed to hear."

A burst of blue light shot up from Starlight's horn; a surge of magic swept around them, growing larger in size as it swirled about. The girls cried out and huddled together, some clinging to each other as the magical storm intensified.

"M-Mommy?!" Twilight shrieked. "What's happening? What are you doing!?"

The mare stood with her eyes rolled back in euphoria, her calm yet crazed grin chilling Twilight to the bone. "I'm making it better, dear Twilight. Just like I promised."

"I'm scaaaared!" Pinkie wailed, her face masked with tears of fright. Rarity and Fluttershy screamed at the top of their lungs.

"Don't be afraid, my starlings," Starlight smiled, tears running down her own cheeks. "You're serving a higher purpose for your country….Equestria….will thank me."

The five fillies latched onto one another and held on.

" _I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"_

" _F-Fluttershy…"_

" _Let me guess. You're Rainbow Dash."_

" _THE one and only!"_

" _Oh, yes! Sparkle always does the trick, does it not? Why Rarity, you are a talent!"_

" _SUPRISE! Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you!"_

Twilight opened her eyes, droplets of tears soaring skyward. "….Who _are_ we?"

"Sleep, my dears. A new era is coming…"

 _Eight years later…._

Moonlight turned to her sister with a deadpanned expression. "You _must_ be joking."

But Pearl's hopeful expression immediately trumped that idea. She was actually serious. Moonlight rolled her eyes. "Pearl, you know full well that we're not allowed outside the cave walls."

Pearl scuffed her hoof against the kitchen floor. "I-I know, but…we're thirteen now. We can take care of ourselves!"

Moonlight went back to stirring her pot of porridge with her magic. "Our birthday was last week. Besides, thirteen or eighteen, mother would never allow it. We have everything we need right here, Pearlie. We have each other, that's all that matters. Pass me that salt, please?"

The pink pony sighed and handed her the small glass container. The salt did nothing to improve the food, it was always fun to add…at least it used to be.

She trotted out of the kitchen and made her way to the bedroom, where she found Prism napping. The pegasus turned over on her bed and threw her an annoyed but sleepy glare. "Don't you ever knock?"

"It's my room too, you know," Pinkie replied, secretly happy that she disturbed Prism's nap. She bounced over to Prism's bed and leaned in. "I'm going to do something that's really dangerous, but exciting at the same time!"

Now, Prism was awake. "Yeah?"

"Mmm-hmm. I'm going to ask mom if we could go _outside_ the cave."

Prism snorted, shaking her head. "Yeah, right."

"I am! Now that we're teenagers, she'll _have_ to say yes!"

"You _do_ remember the last time we asked, don't you?"

"Well, that was a long time ago. Aren't you the least bit curious? Don't you want to know what it's like outside?"

Prism leaned back onto her pillow and shielded her eyes with her forearm. "Of course I do. But rules are rules, Pearls."

Pearl turned her head and gazed outside the window. The brilliant pink and violet sky stretched out for miles over the snowy ice capped mountains. Birds soared towards the sun, free as spirits.

"Dinner's ready!" Moonlight called.

Prism leapt out of bed and scampered out the door. " _Finally!_ "

Pearl slowly followed suit, but not before stealing another glance outside.

 _The sun sinks behind dark misty mountains like a stone falls into water._

 _Two halves of the same mourn for their daughter._

 _For you were the sun that shined brighter every day_

 _Though it pleased a dark cloud to take you away._

 _Three sisters, three balloons, smile their best_

 _Because we know in our hearts, in heaven's arms you rest._

 _As long as laughter is heard, your spirit will never die_

 _From Maud, to you, my sweet sister Pinkie Pie._

"Whaddaya mean, you don't know?" Rainbow demanded.

"Yeah," Pinkie breathed, unable to take her eyes off the brand new cutie mark. "Fruit just appeared on your butt!"

Applejack swished her tail in slight annoyance. "It ain't my fault!"

Twilight winced slightly at the grammatical error. "Isn't."

"What?"

"It _isn't_ your fault. This calls for investigation." She pulled out a notebook and pencil and started writing things down.

Rarity slowly began to panic. "This is awful! What would mom say? You brought a-a _cutie mark_ into this house! This is a disgrace!" Applejack's ears flattened. "Maybe if I could make a dress or something to cover it up—"

"No," Applejack said firmly. She winced as she sat up, letting the washcloths slide off her back. "No more lies. It's best if I tell her. She's gonna find out sooner or later."

Fluttershy clutched at Applejack's foreleg. "B-But…what if mommy…"

Applejack fixed her with a glare, stopping Fluttershy short. "No more lies," she stated firmly. "Lyin's what got me into this in the first place…" She looked down at her cutie mark and turned away in shame. "M-Maybe she could fix it. Make it go away."

The girls stopped to consider this. Applejack was right. Maybe mom _could_ fix the cutie mark, and then everything would go back to normal. "I _guess_ so…" Twilight said carefully.

"What's it like?" Pinkie blurted suddenly. This time, no one reprimanded her for even entertaining the thought of having a cutie mark, because everyone was secretly thinking the exact same question.

Applejack thought for a moment. "I don't _feel_ any different. It's just there, I guess."

"Well, you sure talk funny," Rainbow said with a bit of humor.

Applejack gently rubbed her throat. "What happened to my voice? Maybe cutie marks automatically change your voice when you get it."

"Cutie mark….causes ….voice change…." Twilight murmured as she scribbled it down on the sheet of paper. She stopped and looked her sister up and down. "Other than those things, you haven't changed at all. Do you feel it on you?"

"Nope. I might have felt a weird tingle, but that was it."

Rarity squinted her eyes. "But what does it _mean?_ Three apples? That doesn't make any sense!"

"Mom says that ponies get a cutie mark when they know their special talent," Rainbow reminded them. "Maybe she's an apple taste tester."

"That's a terrible job!" Applejack said, wrinkling her nose. "I don't even like apples that much. They hurt my teeth!"

"Well your name _is Apple_ jack," Fluttershy suggested. "Maybe that means something?"

"That's actually a really good point, Fluttershy," Twilight said, jotting it down. "Maybe it's name related."

Pinkie beamed. "Oooh! Maybe my cutie mark will be something pink! _Sunsets_ are pink sometimes. Maybe my special talent is chasing sunsets! That'll be fun!"

"I'm good at…being shy," Fluttershy said.

"That's every day," Applejack pointed out.

"But that doesn't mean it would be any less good than yours."

Rainbow looked at her own flank and scratched her head. "Uhh…maybe I…discover rainbows? Or…dash to places?"

Rarity snorted. "Some talent."

"Like _your invisible_ talent? It'll be _rare_ alright!" Rainbow shot back.

Twilight stomped her hoof before Rarity could retort.

"That's enough! Don't you see what's happening? Look at us! Already, we're fighting over what kind of talent we'll have! Just like mom said we would!" The girls stood in shocked silence and lowered their heads. "Soon, we'll tear each other apart, our friendship ruined, and for what?" Twilight looked around at her downtrodden sisters. None of them dared to look her in the eye. "What?" Twilight repeated angrily.

A single tear ran down Fluttershy's cheek. "I don't know what came over me…"

"Cutie marks need to be stopped," Rarity murmured. "It turned us against each other in just minutes! I'm sorry, Rainbow."

"Girls! Time for dinner!"

Applejack felt her stomach churn. "I guess this is it, then."

"Don't worry A.J., Pinkie said as they made their way to the main room. "Mom's gonna fix everything, you'll see…then you'll be just like us again." Despite her positive words, her voice lacked its usual enthusiasm.

Rainbow narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "By the way…you don't think you're _better_ than us, do you?"

Applejack sighed. "No. In fact, I feel worse. But…who knows what this mark is capable of."

They trailed into the dining room where Starlight waited beside the dinner table. "Dinner's ready," she said, looking at her daughter's expectantly. The girls ducked their heads and looked anywhere but where their mother stood, cringing slightly.

Starlight frowned in confusion. "Is there something wrong?"

Her only response was the nervous shuffling of hooves. Starlight straightened up. "Is this because of what happened this afternoon? If so, do not go about thinking that punishing you is something I personally enjoy. I want you girls to know—"

"Mom," Applejack squeaked, stepping forward. "I did somethin' terrible."

Starlight's heart dropped into her stomach, and her coat turned three shades lighter. Her voice. Her southern accent. _How?_ "W…what did you say, Applejack?"

With watery eyes, Applejack turned to the side, revealing her cutie mark. Starlight gasped and stumbled backward into the dinner table, knocking over a bowl of lukewarm soup. The girls visibly flinched at the sound of glass breaking, shattering the atmosphere.

For the first time in years, Starlight felt cold hard fear wash over her. _It's not possible! I erased everything! EVERYTHING! Well…except for their knowledge of their own names…but even so, they shouldn't be able to get their cutie marks back! It can't be done!_ She nervously glanced at the other fillies, looking fearful and anxious. But most of all, they looked curious and expectant. The unicorn started to breathe heavily. _What am I going to do? I can't send her away or punish her… no, that would turn them against me…wait…_

Her eyes focused on Applejack and saw tears running down the filly's face. "Why are you crying, Applejack?"

The young girl looked up, her eyes filled with regret and shame. "I…I'm sorry, mama. I didn't mean to get… _this._ I don't know how it happened or why…I…I…." Applejack flung herself into Starlight's embrace and buried her face into her chest. Her tiny body wracked with sobs as she struggled with her words. "I'm sorry! P-Please don't kick me out! I don't wanna be different! I wanna be equal…I'm no better than anypony else…"

Starlight's eyes widened slightly. _Maybe…maybe this wasn't for naught after all…it seems I still have her mind…but what about her heart? If I can convince her…make her see…._

She gently pushed her daughter back and sat down on her haunches, gazing into Applejack's red puffy eyes. "Do you truly wish that, Applejack?" she asked seriously, her expression slightly hopeful. "Are you truly willing to accept Equality into your life? Do you see cutie marks as I see them?" She took Applejack's face in her hooves, brushing a strand of blonde hair out of her eyes. "I can help you, Applejack. My little Sunshine. But only if you are willing."

Applejack nodded quickly, her face still cupped in Starlight's hooves. "Yes, mama! Please! Fix this! I'm the same. I know I am! We all are…with cutie mark, we're different…and disagreeing…and fighting. I don't want any of that. And that's the _truth._ "

An odd sound cut through the atmosphere. Before Starlight could open her mouth, Pinkie squealed. "Look!"

Everyone gasped as the three apples on Applejack's flank morphed into an equal sign. Applejack's eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she collapsed to the floor.

" _Applejack!_ " the fillies shrieked.

Wasting no time, Starlight quickly scooped her up and placed the unconscious filly onto her back. "Twilight, keep them here," she called, racing inside her bedroom. She slammed the door behind her and locked it with her magic. She gently placed Applejack on her bed and felt for a pulse. Starlight sighed upon knowing that Applejack was still alive. _But still, her pulse is weak._ She paced around in a circle, breathing heavily. Beads of sweat started to form underneath her bangs.

 _That transformation nearly killed her. How is any of this possible? I mean…them being equal is what I've always dreamed of, but I'M supposed to give them the mark…when I decided they were ready. But she developed one of her own…._ She turned to look at Applejack's her eyes wide with realization. _Because she believed in it._ "Of course!" she said out loud, but made sure she kept her voice down.

"She gave herself the mark. Because she now knows the truth. But nopony can do that…although, she's still an Element of Harmony. And from what I've read, the Elements of Harmony can defy all odds, defeat all those in its path…." A slow smile crept across her face. _Except for me. I've changed their way of thinking, given them a new purpose in life…_

Starlight sat on the bed and stared at Applejack for a long time. After a while, she slowly reached down and stroked Applejack's cheek. … _But at what cost?_

"I'm scared, mommy," Rarity said quietly, her bread untouched. "What if she never wakes up?"

Starlight sighed, and rubbed her temple. She had been asked that difficult question several times. Not knowing the answer made it worse for all of them. Applejack had been unconscious for three days now; the only sign of her being alive was her slow and steady breathing. Not one twitch, grunt, or even a snore.

The dinner table had quieted down considerably, and even though that silence during meals was a rare treat, Starlight found herself almost missing the noise. "I don't know, Rarity," Starlight said tiredly. "Your sister's just…sleepy. That's all. Just think of it as a long nap."

Twilight silently stared at her mother from across the table. She couldn't help but feel a little uneasy when Starlight said that.

 _That's not true,_ a little voice said inside her head. _Not all of it, at least. Applejack's in a coma. You know what coma means. Tell them. Tell them what you've learned. Tell mom you can read, and write, and count, and spell. You can even sound out big words now!_

Twilight immediately pushed that thought to the back of her head.

 _I'm not better than anypony else. I'm average, and that's a great thing to be._

"I wish I could sleep for days," Rainbow Dash said, her voice cracking slightly. "Then I wouldn't be bothered all the time." She swung her hind legs under the table, swallowing the lump in her throat. "A.J.'s fine. You're all worry warts."

Fluttershy, who had been sitting silently throughout the entire dinner, pushed her plate back. "I'm not hungry," she murmured. Everyone watched as she quietly slid off her chair, pushed it under the table, and slunk to the girl's bedroom where Applejack slept.

"I'm done too," Twilight said succinctly, using her magic to clear her plate. Rainbow was quick to follow.

"Me too."

"Me too."

One by one, the girls picked up their still full plates and left the table, save Pinkie.

Starlight sighed heavily and buried her face in her hooves. _What am I doing?_ Although, she would like to think of her daughters the same, she couldn't deny that Applejack was the most level headed filly in the house. She was the glue that held the group together. Now she could see that her sisters were lost without her. Lost without each other.

Pinkie took one look at Starlight and got off her chair. She crossed over and placed her tiny hoof over her mother's. Starlight lifted her head and looked down at the five year old in surprise. A bright and reassuring smile adorned her little face. "Don't cry, mommy. Applejack's gonna get better soon. We just need to keep hoping. She wouldn't want us to be afraid. She'd want us to be strong…just like her."

Starlight stared at the pink filly, her mouth half open. Without warning, she pulled Pinkie to her chest and buried her face deep into her mane; she was ruining the filly's braids, but didn't care. Her body shook from holding back sobs.

Twilight stared at the cover of her book, the one she had kept secret for a whole year.

 _Star Swirl's Properties of Magic._

She inhaled through her nose and opened the secret door in the living room. While mom was still busy in the dining room with Pinkie, she took the opportunity to get rid of the book for good. As much as she cared for it, it made her an individual. Something that set her apart from the family. It was hard, not just for her, but the others as well. It was the only secret the little Glimmers had shared. They had learned to read and write, and it was the only colorful thing they owned. But after what happened with Applejack….

Twilight squeezed her eyes shut. _Books don't make me smarter at all. It only made me a terrible sister._

She opened her eyes and put the book back and concealed the opening for the last time. She gave a broken hearted sigh, but deep inside, she knew she had done the right thing.

 _Applejack galloped through the dark forest, bumping and crashing into twisted trees that towered high above her. The wind howled over her terrified cries for help. Up in the darkened sky, high above the branches, storm clouds swirled around above her like an upside down whirlpool. The outline of a terrifying creature with wings_ and _a horn appeared behind the thickness of the clouds and grew sharp teeth as it screamed her name. Applejack gasped in horror and ran faster, avoiding golden coins that scattered along the path. As she went deeper into the forest, her ears suddenly perked up._

" _Applejack!"_

 _She skidded to a halt and whirled around. "T-Twilight? Is that you!?"_

" _Applejack! Help me!"_

 _The filly reared back and ran towards Twilight's frightened voice. "I'm comin' Twilight!"_

 _The creature, the storm, nothing else mattered anymore. What mattered was getting to her sister. She came to a clearing that had a long cliff at the end of it. Twilight desperately hung on to the edge, her eyes wide with terror. "Applejack!" Her hooves began to slip, but Applejack dove forward and grabbed her hooves before she could go over the edge._

" _I gotcha, Twi," she grunted._

" _Applejack," Twilight strained, glancing over her shoulder at the bottomless void below. "What do we do?!"_

" _I'll think of somethin'. Don't you worry, sis. I'll get us out of this!"_

" _Are you crazy?!" Twilight shrieked._

 _Applejack was surprised by Twilight's words. "Whaddaya mean? If you got a better idea, I'd love to hear it!"_

 _Twilight looked at her, but this time it was not an expression of fear. It was almost like her face had been erased of all emotion. Before Applejack could question it, Twilight spoke, her eyes clouded. "We're slipping."_

 _Applejack blinked in confusion. "What?" Then, a split second later, Applejack said something else. But it wasn't her, it couldn't be. She didn't even feel her mouth open and her lips didn't form the words. She wouldn't, couldn't say those awful words, even if they had no chance of surviving. But it was her voice—and she did say it._

" _Let go."_

 _Applejack's scream lodged in her throat as Twilight tumbled down to the sharp rocks below._

" _Applejack!"_

"Applejack!" Twilight shook her crying sister. "Applejack, wake up! Wake up!"

Applejack's eyes snapped open and bolted upright, gasping. "It's alright!" Twilight said shakily, hugging the trembling filly. She made soothing sounds as she stroked Applejack's mane, which was damp with sweat. "It was just a dream. Only a dream."

Applejack slowly pulled back to look at Twilight. Her wide eyes drank in every bit of the little unicorn's face. "You're…you're okay?"

Twilight blinked and let out a laugh. "Of course I am! It's you we're so worried about!"

"…We?"

She looked past Twilight and saw the rest of her sisters standing two feet behind with frightful expressions. Applejack raised an eyebrow. "What's eating you guys?" The young girl was immediately blown back by joyous screams; countless hooves wrapped around her body, squeezing the life out of her.

"You're alive!"

"Are you okay?"

"CAN YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

"You must be awfully hungry!"

"Ugh! Give her _room,_ everypony!" Twilight grunted, squished in between Fluttershy and Pinkie. The fillies backed off sheepishly, but only by a few inches. .

Rainbow gave a weak grin. "You really had us going there, doofus," she said, messing up Applejack's bangs. "Don't ever do that again, okay?"

Applejack smirked and poked her in the chest. "Wouldn't count on it, brainless. But…what happened?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Lemme tell her!" Pinkie shouted before anypony else got a word in. "Remember when we accidently broke the stick and mom found out about it and everything?"

Applejack nodded.

"During naptime, you earned your cutie mark—"

"Cutie mark!?"

"Yeah, but after you told mom it disappeared! I guess she made it go away with her super eyeball powers, she's _that good!_ But then afterwards, you were like 'Uuuugh' and fell to the floor, and then _we_ were like 'Aaaaah!' And you didn't wake up for like three days—"

"Three days!?"

"Uh huh, and were really really scared!" She crawled forward and nuzzled her lovingly. "But you're okay now, Applejack. We knew we wouldn't lose you."

An odd expression etched the other girl's features. "What did you call me?"

The girls glanced at one another. "Uhhh….Applejack?" Pinkie repeated unsurely.

"What are you talking about? I'm not Applejack. I'm _Sunshine,_ remember?"

"You see, mom?" Rainbow said, gesturing to Applejack. "She's a total whack job!"

Starlight directed a stern gaze towards her. "What did I say about name-calling, Rainbow?"

"I'm sorry mom," Rainbow said in a high, somewhat pleading voice, "But she's _acting_ like one!"

"Why do you keep calling her that, mom?" Applejack asked. The other fillies noticed that the accent from before had gone away. "You know her name's Prism."

"Yow not making any _sense!_ " Rarity said exasperatingly, her lisp slipping in. "I'm stawting to think you hit yow head too hawd!"

"APPLEJACK," Pinkie shouted, gripping said girl's shoulders. "IT'S ME, PINKIE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORDS THAT ARE COMING OUT OF MY MOUTH!?"

Twilight irritably pulled her off. "She just lost her memory, she's not deaf!"

Starlight, who had been silently watching them, finally spoke. "And your mark?" she inquired carefully. "You don't find it…odd?"

Applejack glanced at her flank and looked up with a curious expression. "You mean this? I've always had this…didn't I?"

The other fillies stood in shocked silence. They had _never_ seen their sister this way. Her demeanor hadn't changed, but she had a very confused way about her. Applejack was still here, yet she wasn't. Some threw Starlight anxious looks, silently pleading her to do something— _anything_ to heal their sister.

Starlight ignored them all, and walked over to Applejack, her hoof caressing her face. "Sunshine…why don't you go to your room and lie down a bit, okay?"

Applejack stared at her mother and nodded. "…Okay. Maybe I do need a nap," she mumbled, rubbing her head as she turned away. "I don't feel too good…"

"It's official," Rainbow sighed as soon as she disappeared down the hall. "She's lost it."

Fluttershy's ears flattened against her head. "I feel so _bad_ for her…I wish there was something we could do…"

"There _is_ something we can do," Starlight said suddenly with her back turned to them.

The girls shared a surprised look. "There is?" Twilight asked hopefully.

"Yes." Starlight turned to face them, smiling oddly. "Come with me, children…single file…"

The girls formed a line behind their mother without hesitation and followed closely from behind. "We're going to mother's room," Fluttershy whispered. "We're barely allowed in _there._ "

"Then it _must_ be serious," Rarity said quietly.

"Don't worry," Rainbow said to her. "Mom always knows what to do."

Starlight opened her bedroom door, letting the girls inside. "Come right in, my starlings. Mommy's going to make everything better."

The girls drank in every bit of the room as much as they could. It was the only room in the cave that was off limits to them. It was quite simple with a bed, a side table, a closet, and a picture frame with an equal sign inside that hung above the bed. Everything about the room was very big and adult-like to them.

"It even _smells_ grown up," Rainbow whispered to Fluttershy.

Starlight wordlessly closed the door and turned to her five daughters, all lined up against the wall. She crossed over to them and let her eyes fall on each filly, one by one. "I've…I've been a good mother to you, haven't I?"

The girls shared confused looks, perplexed at their mother's odd question. "Well, of course you have," Twilight answered with a smile. "You're the best mom a girl could ask for!" The others nodded, backing up her words.

Starlight shifted slightly. "And…do you truly understand what it means to be Equal? Do you believe it with all your heart?"

"We understand, mommy," Fluttershy said. "We know that equality brings peace to the world, even though not everypony understands that yet."

"And that cutie marks cause hate," Rainbow added. "Nopony sticks up for each other."

"Differences bring selfishness," Rarity said. "Equalness helps us be better ponies."

Twilight nodded. "Everypony has the same talents, and the same strengths. It makes us stronger, being _together._ "

" _And,_ " Pinkie chimed in, "We always, always, _always_ greet each other with a grin, because it's so much better knowing that you're just like everypony else! That's something to smile about!"

A wide grin traveled over Starlight's face. "That's all I needed to hear."

A burst of blue light shot up from Starlight's horn; a surge of magic swept around them, growing larger in size as it swirled about. The girls cried out and huddled together, some clinging to each other as the magical storm intensified.

"M-Mommy?!" Twilight shrieked. "What's happening? What are you doing!?"

The mare stood with her eyes rolled back in euphoria, her calm yet crazed grin chilling Twilight to the bone. "I'm making it better, dear Twilight. Just like I promised."

"I'm scaaaared!" Pinkie wailed, her face masked with tears of fright. Rarity and Fluttershy screamed at the top of their lungs.

"Don't be afraid, my starlings," Starlight smiled, tears running down her own cheeks. "You're serving a higher purpose for your country….Equestria….will thank me."

The five fillies latched onto one another and held on.

" _I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"_

" _F-Fluttershy…"_

" _Let me guess. You're Rainbow Dash."_

" _THE one and only!"_

" _Oh, yes! Sparkle always does the trick, does it not? Why Rarity, you are a talent!"_

" _SUPRISE! Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you!"_

Twilight opened her eyes, droplets of tears soaring skyward. "….Who _are_ we?"

"Sleep, my dears. A new era is coming…"

 _Eight years later…._

Moonlight turned to her sister with a deadpanned expression. "You _must_ be joking."

But Pearl's hopeful expression immediately trumped that idea. She was actually serious. Moonlight rolled her eyes. "Pearl, you know full well that we're not allowed outside the cave walls."

Pearl scuffed her hoof against the kitchen floor. "I-I know, but…we're thirteen now. We can take care of ourselves!"

Moonlight went back to stirring her pot of porridge with her magic. "Our birthday was last week. Besides, thirteen or eighteen, mother would never allow it. We have everything we need right here, Pearlie. We have each other, that's all that matters. Pass me that salt, please?"

The pink pony sighed and handed her the small glass container. The salt did nothing to improve the food, it was always fun to add…at least it used to be.

She trotted out of the kitchen and made her way to the bedroom, where she found Prism napping. The pegasus turned over on her bed and threw her an annoyed but sleepy glare. "Don't you ever knock?"

"It's my room too, you know," Pinkie replied, secretly happy that she disturbed Prism's nap. She bounced over to Prism's bed and leaned in. "I'm going to do something that's really dangerous, but exciting at the same time!"

Now, Prism was awake. "Yeah?"

"Mmm-hmm. I'm going to ask mom if we could go _outside_ the cave."

Prism snorted, shaking her head. "Yeah, right."

"I am! Now that we're teenagers, she'll _have_ to say yes!"

"You _do_ remember the last time we asked, don't you?"

"Well, that was a long time ago. Aren't you the least bit curious? Don't you want to know what it's like outside?"

Prism leaned back onto her pillow and shielded her eyes with her forearm. "Of course I do. But rules are rules, Pearls."

Pearl turned her head and gazed outside the window. The brilliant pink and violet sky stretched out for miles over the snowy ice capped mountains. Birds soared towards the sun, free as spirits.

"Dinner's ready!" Moonlight called.

Prism leapt out of bed and scampered out the door. " _Finally!_ "

Pearl slowly followed suit, but not before stealing another glance outside.

 _The sun sinks behind dark misty mountains like a stone falls into water._

 _Two halves of the same mourn for their daughter._

 _For you were the sun that shined brighter every day_

 _Though it pleased a dark cloud to take you away._

 _Three sisters, three balloons, smile their best_

 _Because we know in our hearts, in heaven's arms you rest._

 _As long as laughter is heard, your spirit will never die_

 _From Maud, to you, my sweet sister Pinkie Pie._

"Whaddaya mean, you don't know?" Rainbow demanded.

"Yeah," Pinkie breathed, unable to take her eyes off the brand new cutie mark. "Fruit just appeared on your butt!"

Applejack swished her tail in slight annoyance. "It ain't my fault!"

Twilight winced slightly at the grammatical error. "Isn't."

"What?"

"It _isn't_ your fault. This calls for investigation." She pulled out a notebook and pencil and started writing things down.

Rarity slowly began to panic. "This is awful! What would mom say? You brought a-a _cutie mark_ into this house! This is a disgrace!" Applejack's ears flattened. "Maybe if I could make a dress or something to cover it up—"

"No," Applejack said firmly. She winced as she sat up, letting the washcloths slide off her back. "No more lies. It's best if I tell her. She's gonna find out sooner or later."

Fluttershy clutched at Applejack's foreleg. "B-But…what if mommy…"

Applejack fixed her with a glare, stopping Fluttershy short. "No more lies," she stated firmly. "Lyin's what got me into this in the first place…" She looked down at her cutie mark and turned away in shame. "M-Maybe she could fix it. Make it go away."

The girls stopped to consider this. Applejack was right. Maybe mom _could_ fix the cutie mark, and then everything would go back to normal. "I _guess_ so…" Twilight said carefully.

"What's it like?" Pinkie blurted suddenly. This time, no one reprimanded her for even entertaining the thought of having a cutie mark, because everyone was secretly thinking the exact same question.

Applejack thought for a moment. "I don't _feel_ any different. It's just there, I guess."

"Well, you sure talk funny," Rainbow said with a bit of humor.

Applejack gently rubbed her throat. "What happened to my voice? Maybe cutie marks automatically change your voice when you get it."

"Cutie mark….causes ….voice change…." Twilight murmured as she scribbled it down on the sheet of paper. She stopped and looked her sister up and down. "Other than those things, you haven't changed at all. Do you feel it on you?"

"Nope. I might have felt a weird tingle, but that was it."

Rarity squinted her eyes. "But what does it _mean?_ Three apples? That doesn't make any sense!"

"Mom says that ponies get a cutie mark when they know their special talent," Rainbow reminded them. "Maybe she's an apple taste tester."

"That's a terrible job!" Applejack said, wrinkling her nose. "I don't even like apples that much. They hurt my teeth!"

"Well your name _is Apple_ jack," Fluttershy suggested. "Maybe that means something?"

"That's actually a really good point, Fluttershy," Twilight said, jotting it down. "Maybe it's name related."

Pinkie beamed. "Oooh! Maybe my cutie mark will be something pink! _Sunsets_ are pink sometimes. Maybe my special talent is chasing sunsets! That'll be fun!"

"I'm good at…being shy," Fluttershy said.

"That's every day," Applejack pointed out.

"But that doesn't mean it would be any less good than yours."

Rainbow looked at her own flank and scratched her head. "Uhh…maybe I…discover rainbows? Or…dash to places?"

Rarity snorted. "Some talent."

"Like _your invisible_ talent? It'll be _rare_ alright!" Rainbow shot back.

Twilight stomped her hoof before Rarity could retort.

"That's enough! Don't you see what's happening? Look at us! Already, we're fighting over what kind of talent we'll have! Just like mom said we would!" The girls stood in shocked silence and lowered their heads. "Soon, we'll tear each other apart, our friendship ruined, and for what?" Twilight looked around at her downtrodden sisters. None of them dared to look her in the eye. "What?" Twilight repeated angrily.

A single tear ran down Fluttershy's cheek. "I don't know what came over me…"

"Cutie marks need to be stopped," Rarity murmured. "It turned us against each other in just minutes! I'm sorry, Rainbow."

"Girls! Time for dinner!"

Applejack felt her stomach churn. "I guess this is it, then."

"Don't worry A.J., Pinkie said as they made their way to the main room. "Mom's gonna fix everything, you'll see…then you'll be just like us again." Despite her positive words, her voice lacked its usual enthusiasm.

Rainbow narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "By the way…you don't think you're _better_ than us, do you?"

Applejack sighed. "No. In fact, I feel worse. But…who knows what this mark is capable of."

They trailed into the dining room where Starlight waited beside the dinner table. "Dinner's ready," she said, looking at her daughter's expectantly. The girls ducked their heads and looked anywhere but where their mother stood, cringing slightly.

Starlight frowned in confusion. "Is there something wrong?"

Her only response was the nervous shuffling of hooves. Starlight straightened up. "Is this because of what happened this afternoon? If so, do not go about thinking that punishing you is something I personally enjoy. I want you girls to know—"

"Mom," Applejack squeaked, stepping forward. "I did somethin' terrible."

Starlight's heart dropped into her stomach, and her coat turned three shades lighter. Her voice. Her southern accent. _How?_ "W…what did you say, Applejack?"

With watery eyes, Applejack turned to the side, revealing her cutie mark. Starlight gasped and stumbled backward into the dinner table, knocking over a bowl of lukewarm soup. The girls visibly flinched at the sound of glass breaking, shattering the atmosphere.

For the first time in years, Starlight felt cold hard fear wash over her. _It's not possible! I erased everything! EVERYTHING! Well…except for their knowledge of their own names…but even so, they shouldn't be able to get their cutie marks back! It can't be done!_ She nervously glanced at the other fillies, looking fearful and anxious. But most of all, they looked curious and expectant. The unicorn started to breathe heavily. _What am I going to do? I can't send her away or punish her… no, that would turn them against me…wait…_

Her eyes focused on Applejack and saw tears running down the filly's face. "Why are you crying, Applejack?"

The young girl looked up, her eyes filled with regret and shame. "I…I'm sorry, mama. I didn't mean to get… _this._ I don't know how it happened or why…I…I…." Applejack flung herself into Starlight's embrace and buried her face into her chest. Her tiny body wracked with sobs as she struggled with her words. "I'm sorry! P-Please don't kick me out! I don't wanna be different! I wanna be equal…I'm no better than anypony else…"

Starlight's eyes widened slightly. _Maybe…maybe this wasn't for naught after all…it seems I still have her mind…but what about her heart? If I can convince her…make her see…._

She gently pushed her daughter back and sat down on her haunches, gazing into Applejack's red puffy eyes. "Do you truly wish that, Applejack?" she asked seriously, her expression slightly hopeful. "Are you truly willing to accept Equality into your life? Do you see cutie marks as I see them?" She took Applejack's face in her hooves, brushing a strand of blonde hair out of her eyes. "I can help you, Applejack. My little Sunshine. But only if you are willing."

Applejack nodded quickly, her face still cupped in Starlight's hooves. "Yes, mama! Please! Fix this! I'm the same. I know I am! We all are…with cutie mark, we're different…and disagreeing…and fighting. I don't want any of that. And that's the _truth._ "

An odd sound cut through the atmosphere. Before Starlight could open her mouth, Pinkie squealed. "Look!"

Everyone gasped as the three apples on Applejack's flank morphed into an equal sign. Applejack's eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she collapsed to the floor.

" _Applejack!_ " the fillies shrieked.

Wasting no time, Starlight quickly scooped her up and placed the unconscious filly onto her back. "Twilight, keep them here," she called, racing inside her bedroom. She slammed the door behind her and locked it with her magic. She gently placed Applejack on her bed and felt for a pulse. Starlight sighed upon knowing that Applejack was still alive. _But still, her pulse is weak._ She paced around in a circle, breathing heavily. Beads of sweat started to form underneath her bangs.

 _That transformation nearly killed her. How is any of this possible? I mean…them being equal is what I've always dreamed of, but I'M supposed to give them the mark…when I decided they were ready. But she developed one of her own…._ She turned to look at Applejack's her eyes wide with realization. _Because she believed in it._ "Of course!" she said out loud, but made sure she kept her voice down.

"She gave herself the mark. Because she now knows the truth. But nopony can do that…although, she's still an Element of Harmony. And from what I've read, the Elements of Harmony can defy all odds, defeat all those in its path…." A slow smile crept across her face. _Except for me. I've changed their way of thinking, given them a new purpose in life…_

Starlight sat on the bed and stared at Applejack for a long time. After a while, she slowly reached down and stroked Applejack's cheek. … _But at what cost?_

"I'm scared, mommy," Rarity said quietly, her bread untouched. "What if she never wakes up?"

Starlight sighed, and rubbed her temple. She had been asked that difficult question several times. Not knowing the answer made it worse for all of them. Applejack had been unconscious for three days now; the only sign of her being alive was her slow and steady breathing. Not one twitch, grunt, or even a snore.

The dinner table had quieted down considerably, and even though that silence during meals was a rare treat, Starlight found herself almost missing the noise. "I don't know, Rarity," Starlight said tiredly. "Your sister's just…sleepy. That's all. Just think of it as a long nap."

Twilight silently stared at her mother from across the table. She couldn't help but feel a little uneasy when Starlight said that.

 _That's not true,_ a little voice said inside her head. _Not all of it, at least. Applejack's in a coma. You know what coma means. Tell them. Tell them what you've learned. Tell mom you can read, and write, and count, and spell. You can even sound out big words now!_

Twilight immediately pushed that thought to the back of her head.

 _I'm not better than anypony else. I'm average, and that's a great thing to be._

"I wish I could sleep for days," Rainbow Dash said, her voice cracking slightly. "Then I wouldn't be bothered all the time." She swung her hind legs under the table, swallowing the lump in her throat. "A.J.'s fine. You're all worry warts."

Fluttershy, who had been sitting silently throughout the entire dinner, pushed her plate back. "I'm not hungry," she murmured. Everyone watched as she quietly slid off her chair, pushed it under the table, and slunk to the girl's bedroom where Applejack slept.

"I'm done too," Twilight said succinctly, using her magic to clear her plate. Rainbow was quick to follow.

"Me too."

"Me too."

One by one, the girls picked up their still full plates and left the table, save Pinkie.

Starlight sighed heavily and buried her face in her hooves. _What am I doing?_ Although, she would like to think of her daughters the same, she couldn't deny that Applejack was the most level headed filly in the house. She was the glue that held the group together. Now she could see that her sisters were lost without her. Lost without each other.

Pinkie took one look at Starlight and got off her chair. She crossed over and placed her tiny hoof over her mother's. Starlight lifted her head and looked down at the five year old in surprise. A bright and reassuring smile adorned her little face. "Don't cry, mommy. Applejack's gonna get better soon. We just need to keep hoping. She wouldn't want us to be afraid. She'd want us to be strong…just like her."

Starlight stared at the pink filly, her mouth half open. Without warning, she pulled Pinkie to her chest and buried her face deep into her mane; she was ruining the filly's braids, but didn't care. Her body shook from holding back sobs.

Twilight stared at the cover of her book, the one she had kept secret for a whole year.

 _Star Swirl's Properties of Magic._

She inhaled through her nose and opened the secret door in the living room. While mom was still busy in the dining room with Pinkie, she took the opportunity to get rid of the book for good. As much as she cared for it, it made her an individual. Something that set her apart from the family. It was hard, not just for her, but the others as well. It was the only secret the little Glimmers had shared. They had learned to read and write, and it was the only colorful thing they owned. But after what happened with Applejack….

Twilight squeezed her eyes shut. _Books don't make me smarter at all. It only made me a terrible sister._

She opened her eyes and put the book back and concealed the opening for the last time. She gave a broken hearted sigh, but deep inside, she knew she had done the right thing.

 _Applejack galloped through the dark forest, bumping and crashing into twisted trees that towered high above her. The wind howled over her terrified cries for help. Up in the darkened sky, high above the branches, storm clouds swirled around above her like an upside down whirlpool. The outline of a terrifying creature with wings_ and _a horn appeared behind the thickness of the clouds and grew sharp teeth as it screamed her name. Applejack gasped in horror and ran faster, avoiding golden coins that scattered along the path. As she went deeper into the forest, her ears suddenly perked up._

" _Applejack!"_

 _She skidded to a halt and whirled around. "T-Twilight? Is that you!?"_

" _Applejack! Help me!"_

 _The filly reared back and ran towards Twilight's frightened voice. "I'm comin' Twilight!"_

 _The creature, the storm, nothing else mattered anymore. What mattered was getting to her sister. She came to a clearing that had a long cliff at the end of it. Twilight desperately hung on to the edge, her eyes wide with terror. "Applejack!" Her hooves began to slip, but Applejack dove forward and grabbed her hooves before she could go over the edge._

" _I gotcha, Twi," she grunted._

" _Applejack," Twilight strained, glancing over her shoulder at the bottomless void below. "What do we do?!"_

" _I'll think of somethin'. Don't you worry, sis. I'll get us out of this!"_

" _Are you crazy?!" Twilight shrieked._

 _Applejack was surprised by Twilight's words. "Whaddaya mean? If you got a better idea, I'd love to hear it!"_

 _Twilight looked at her, but this time it was not an expression of fear. It was almost like her face had been erased of all emotion. Before Applejack could question it, Twilight spoke, her eyes clouded. "We're slipping."_

 _Applejack blinked in confusion. "What?" Then, a split second later, Applejack said something else. But it wasn't her, it couldn't be. She didn't even feel her mouth open and her lips didn't form the words. She wouldn't, couldn't say those awful words, even if they had no chance of surviving. But it was her voice—and she did say it._

" _Let go."_

 _Applejack's scream lodged in her throat as Twilight tumbled down to the sharp rocks below._

" _Applejack!"_

"Applejack!" Twilight shook her crying sister. "Applejack, wake up! Wake up!"

Applejack's eyes snapped open and bolted upright, gasping. "It's alright!" Twilight said shakily, hugging the trembling filly. She made soothing sounds as she stroked Applejack's mane, which was damp with sweat. "It was just a dream. Only a dream."

Applejack slowly pulled back to look at Twilight. Her wide eyes drank in every bit of the little unicorn's face. "You're…you're okay?"

Twilight blinked and let out a laugh. "Of course I am! It's you we're so worried about!"

"…We?"

She looked past Twilight and saw the rest of her sisters standing two feet behind with frightful expressions. Applejack raised an eyebrow. "What's eating you guys?" The young girl was immediately blown back by joyous screams; countless hooves wrapped around her body, squeezing the life out of her.

"You're alive!"

"Are you okay?"

"CAN YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

"You must be awfully hungry!"

"Ugh! Give her _room,_ everypony!" Twilight grunted, squished in between Fluttershy and Pinkie. The fillies backed off sheepishly, but only by a few inches. .

Rainbow gave a weak grin. "You really had us going there, doofus," she said, messing up Applejack's bangs. "Don't ever do that again, okay?"

Applejack smirked and poked her in the chest. "Wouldn't count on it, brainless. But…what happened?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Lemme tell her!" Pinkie shouted before anypony else got a word in. "Remember when we accidently broke the stick and mom found out about it and everything?"

Applejack nodded.

"During naptime, you earned your cutie mark—"

"Cutie mark!?"

"Yeah, but after you told mom it disappeared! I guess she made it go away with her super eyeball powers, she's _that good!_ But then afterwards, you were like 'Uuuugh' and fell to the floor, and then _we_ were like 'Aaaaah!' And you didn't wake up for like three days—"

"Three days!?"

"Uh huh, and were really really scared!" She crawled forward and nuzzled her lovingly. "But you're okay now, Applejack. We knew we wouldn't lose you."

An odd expression etched the other girl's features. "What did you call me?"

The girls glanced at one another. "Uhhh….Applejack?" Pinkie repeated unsurely.

"What are you talking about? I'm not Applejack. I'm _Sunshine,_ remember?"

"You see, mom?" Rainbow said, gesturing to Applejack. "She's a total whack job!"

Starlight directed a stern gaze towards her. "What did I say about name-calling, Rainbow?"

"I'm sorry mom," Rainbow said in a high, somewhat pleading voice, "But she's _acting_ like one!"

"Why do you keep calling her that, mom?" Applejack asked. The other fillies noticed that the accent from before had gone away. "You know her name's Prism."

"Yow not making any _sense!_ " Rarity said exasperatingly, her lisp slipping in. "I'm stawting to think you hit yow head too hawd!"

"APPLEJACK," Pinkie shouted, gripping said girl's shoulders. "IT'S ME, PINKIE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORDS THAT ARE COMING OUT OF MY MOUTH!?"

Twilight irritably pulled her off. "She just lost her memory, she's not deaf!"

Starlight, who had been silently watching them, finally spoke. "And your mark?" she inquired carefully. "You don't find it…odd?"

Applejack glanced at her flank and looked up with a curious expression. "You mean this? I've always had this…didn't I?"

The other fillies stood in shocked silence. They had _never_ seen their sister this way. Her demeanor hadn't changed, but she had a very confused way about her. Applejack was still here, yet she wasn't. Some threw Starlight anxious looks, silently pleading her to do something— _anything_ to heal their sister.

Starlight ignored them all, and walked over to Applejack, her hoof caressing her face. "Sunshine…why don't you go to your room and lie down a bit, okay?"

Applejack stared at her mother and nodded. "…Okay. Maybe I do need a nap," she mumbled, rubbing her head as she turned away. "I don't feel too good…"

"It's official," Rainbow sighed as soon as she disappeared down the hall. "She's lost it."

Fluttershy's ears flattened against her head. "I feel so _bad_ for her…I wish there was something we could do…"

"There _is_ something we can do," Starlight said suddenly with her back turned to them.

The girls shared a surprised look. "There is?" Twilight asked hopefully.

"Yes." Starlight turned to face them, smiling oddly. "Come with me, children…single file…"

The girls formed a line behind their mother without hesitation and followed closely from behind. "We're going to mother's room," Fluttershy whispered. "We're barely allowed in _there._ "

"Then it _must_ be serious," Rarity said quietly.

"Don't worry," Rainbow said to her. "Mom always knows what to do."

Starlight opened her bedroom door, letting the girls inside. "Come right in, my starlings. Mommy's going to make everything better."

The girls drank in every bit of the room as much as they could. It was the only room in the cave that was off limits to them. It was quite simple with a bed, a side table, a closet, and a picture frame with an equal sign inside that hung above the bed. Everything about the room was very big and adult-like to them.

"It even _smells_ grown up," Rainbow whispered to Fluttershy.

Starlight wordlessly closed the door and turned to her five daughters, all lined up against the wall. She crossed over to them and let her eyes fall on each filly, one by one. "I've…I've been a good mother to you, haven't I?"

The girls shared confused looks, perplexed at their mother's odd question. "Well, of course you have," Twilight answered with a smile. "You're the best mom a girl could ask for!" The others nodded, backing up her words.

Starlight shifted slightly. "And…do you truly understand what it means to be Equal? Do you believe it with all your heart?"

"We understand, mommy," Fluttershy said. "We know that equality brings peace to the world, even though not everypony understands that yet."

"And that cutie marks cause hate," Rainbow added. "Nopony sticks up for each other."

"Differences bring selfishness," Rarity said. "Equalness helps us be better ponies."

Twilight nodded. "Everypony has the same talents, and the same strengths. It makes us stronger, being _together._ "

" _And,_ " Pinkie chimed in, "We always, always, _always_ greet each other with a grin, because it's so much better knowing that you're just like everypony else! That's something to smile about!"

A wide grin traveled over Starlight's face. "That's all I needed to hear."

A burst of blue light shot up from Starlight's horn; a surge of magic swept around them, growing larger in size as it swirled about. The girls cried out and huddled together, some clinging to each other as the magical storm intensified.

"M-Mommy?!" Twilight shrieked. "What's happening? What are you doing!?"

The mare stood with her eyes rolled back in euphoria, her calm yet crazed grin chilling Twilight to the bone. "I'm making it better, dear Twilight. Just like I promised."

"I'm scaaaared!" Pinkie wailed, her face masked with tears of fright. Rarity and Fluttershy screamed at the top of their lungs.

"Don't be afraid, my starlings," Starlight smiled, tears running down her own cheeks. "You're serving a higher purpose for your country….Equestria….will thank me."

The five fillies latched onto one another and held on.

" _I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"_

" _F-Fluttershy…"_

" _Let me guess. You're Rainbow Dash."_

" _THE one and only!"_

" _Oh, yes! Sparkle always does the trick, does it not? Why Rarity, you are a talent!"_

" _SUPRISE! Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you!"_

Twilight opened her eyes, droplets of tears soaring skyward. "….Who _are_ we?"

"Sleep, my dears. A new era is coming…"

 _Eight years later…._

Moonlight turned to her sister with a deadpanned expression. "You _must_ be joking."

But Pearl's hopeful expression immediately trumped that idea. She was actually serious. Moonlight rolled her eyes. "Pearl, you know full well that we're not allowed outside the cave walls."

Pearl scuffed her hoof against the kitchen floor. "I-I know, but…we're thirteen now. We can take care of ourselves!"

Moonlight went back to stirring her pot of porridge with her magic. "Our birthday was last week. Besides, thirteen or eighteen, mother would never allow it. We have everything we need right here, Pearlie. We have each other, that's all that matters. Pass me that salt, please?"

The pink pony sighed and handed her the small glass container. The salt did nothing to improve the food, it was always fun to add…at least it used to be.

She trotted out of the kitchen and made her way to the bedroom, where she found Prism napping. The pegasus turned over on her bed and threw her an annoyed but sleepy glare. "Don't you ever knock?"

"It's my room too, you know," Pinkie replied, secretly happy that she disturbed Prism's nap. She bounced over to Prism's bed and leaned in. "I'm going to do something that's really dangerous, but exciting at the same time!"

Now, Prism was awake. "Yeah?"

"Mmm-hmm. I'm going to ask mom if we could go _outside_ the cave."

Prism snorted, shaking her head. "Yeah, right."

"I am! Now that we're teenagers, she'll _have_ to say yes!"

"You _do_ remember the last time we asked, don't you?"

"Well, that was a long time ago. Aren't you the least bit curious? Don't you want to know what it's like outside?"

Prism leaned back onto her pillow and shielded her eyes with her forearm. "Of course I do. But rules are rules, Pearls."

Pearl turned her head and gazed outside the window. The brilliant pink and violet sky stretched out for miles over the snowy ice capped mountains. Birds soared towards the sun, free as spirits.

"Dinner's ready!" Moonlight called.

Prism leapt out of bed and scampered out the door. " _Finally!_ "

Pearl slowly followed suit, but not before stealing another glance outside.

 _The sun sinks behind dark misty mountains like a stone falls into water._

 _Two halves of the same mourn for their daughter._

 _For you were the sun that shined brighter every day_

 _Though it pleased a dark cloud to take you away._

 _Three sisters, three balloons, smile their best_

 _Because we know in our hearts, in heaven's arms you rest._

 _As long as laughter is heard, your spirit will never die_

 _From Maud, to you, my sweet sister Pinkie Pie._

"Whaddaya mean, you don't know?" Rainbow demanded.

"Yeah," Pinkie breathed, unable to take her eyes off the brand new cutie mark. "Fruit just appeared on your butt!"

Applejack swished her tail in slight annoyance. "It ain't my fault!"

Twilight winced slightly at the grammatical error. "Isn't."

"What?"

"It _isn't_ your fault. This calls for investigation." She pulled out a notebook and pencil and started writing things down.

Rarity slowly began to panic. "This is awful! What would mom say? You brought a-a _cutie mark_ into this house! This is a disgrace!" Applejack's ears flattened. "Maybe if I could make a dress or something to cover it up—"

"No," Applejack said firmly. She winced as she sat up, letting the washcloths slide off her back. "No more lies. It's best if I tell her. She's gonna find out sooner or later."

Fluttershy clutched at Applejack's foreleg. "B-But…what if mommy…"

Applejack fixed her with a glare, stopping Fluttershy short. "No more lies," she stated firmly. "Lyin's what got me into this in the first place…" She looked down at her cutie mark and turned away in shame. "M-Maybe she could fix it. Make it go away."

The girls stopped to consider this. Applejack was right. Maybe mom _could_ fix the cutie mark, and then everything would go back to normal. "I _guess_ so…" Twilight said carefully.

"What's it like?" Pinkie blurted suddenly. This time, no one reprimanded her for even entertaining the thought of having a cutie mark, because everyone was secretly thinking the exact same question.

Applejack thought for a moment. "I don't _feel_ any different. It's just there, I guess."

"Well, you sure talk funny," Rainbow said with a bit of humor.

Applejack gently rubbed her throat. "What happened to my voice? Maybe cutie marks automatically change your voice when you get it."

"Cutie mark….causes ….voice change…." Twilight murmured as she scribbled it down on the sheet of paper. She stopped and looked her sister up and down. "Other than those things, you haven't changed at all. Do you feel it on you?"

"Nope. I might have felt a weird tingle, but that was it."

Rarity squinted her eyes. "But what does it _mean?_ Three apples? That doesn't make any sense!"

"Mom says that ponies get a cutie mark when they know their special talent," Rainbow reminded them. "Maybe she's an apple taste tester."

"That's a terrible job!" Applejack said, wrinkling her nose. "I don't even like apples that much. They hurt my teeth!"

"Well your name _is Apple_ jack," Fluttershy suggested. "Maybe that means something?"

"That's actually a really good point, Fluttershy," Twilight said, jotting it down. "Maybe it's name related."

Pinkie beamed. "Oooh! Maybe my cutie mark will be something pink! _Sunsets_ are pink sometimes. Maybe my special talent is chasing sunsets! That'll be fun!"

"I'm good at…being shy," Fluttershy said.

"That's every day," Applejack pointed out.

"But that doesn't mean it would be any less good than yours."

Rainbow looked at her own flank and scratched her head. "Uhh…maybe I…discover rainbows? Or…dash to places?"

Rarity snorted. "Some talent."

"Like _your invisible_ talent? It'll be _rare_ alright!" Rainbow shot back.

Twilight stomped her hoof before Rarity could retort.

"That's enough! Don't you see what's happening? Look at us! Already, we're fighting over what kind of talent we'll have! Just like mom said we would!" The girls stood in shocked silence and lowered their heads. "Soon, we'll tear each other apart, our friendship ruined, and for what?" Twilight looked around at her downtrodden sisters. None of them dared to look her in the eye. "What?" Twilight repeated angrily.

A single tear ran down Fluttershy's cheek. "I don't know what came over me…"

"Cutie marks need to be stopped," Rarity murmured. "It turned us against each other in just minutes! I'm sorry, Rainbow."

"Girls! Time for dinner!"

Applejack felt her stomach churn. "I guess this is it, then."

"Don't worry A.J., Pinkie said as they made their way to the main room. "Mom's gonna fix everything, you'll see…then you'll be just like us again." Despite her positive words, her voice lacked its usual enthusiasm.

Rainbow narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "By the way…you don't think you're _better_ than us, do you?"

Applejack sighed. "No. In fact, I feel worse. But…who knows what this mark is capable of."

They trailed into the dining room where Starlight waited beside the dinner table. "Dinner's ready," she said, looking at her daughter's expectantly. The girls ducked their heads and looked anywhere but where their mother stood, cringing slightly.

Starlight frowned in confusion. "Is there something wrong?"

Her only response was the nervous shuffling of hooves. Starlight straightened up. "Is this because of what happened this afternoon? If so, do not go about thinking that punishing you is something I personally enjoy. I want you girls to know—"

"Mom," Applejack squeaked, stepping forward. "I did somethin' terrible."

Starlight's heart dropped into her stomach, and her coat turned three shades lighter. Her voice. Her southern accent. _How?_ "W…what did you say, Applejack?"

With watery eyes, Applejack turned to the side, revealing her cutie mark. Starlight gasped and stumbled backward into the dinner table, knocking over a bowl of lukewarm soup. The girls visibly flinched at the sound of glass breaking, shattering the atmosphere.

For the first time in years, Starlight felt cold hard fear wash over her. _It's not possible! I erased everything! EVERYTHING! Well…except for their knowledge of their own names…but even so, they shouldn't be able to get their cutie marks back! It can't be done!_ She nervously glanced at the other fillies, looking fearful and anxious. But most of all, they looked curious and expectant. The unicorn started to breathe heavily. _What am I going to do? I can't send her away or punish her… no, that would turn them against me…wait…_

Her eyes focused on Applejack and saw tears running down the filly's face. "Why are you crying, Applejack?"

The young girl looked up, her eyes filled with regret and shame. "I…I'm sorry, mama. I didn't mean to get… _this._ I don't know how it happened or why…I…I…." Applejack flung herself into Starlight's embrace and buried her face into her chest. Her tiny body wracked with sobs as she struggled with her words. "I'm sorry! P-Please don't kick me out! I don't wanna be different! I wanna be equal…I'm no better than anypony else…"

Starlight's eyes widened slightly. _Maybe…maybe this wasn't for naught after all…it seems I still have her mind…but what about her heart? If I can convince her…make her see…._

She gently pushed her daughter back and sat down on her haunches, gazing into Applejack's red puffy eyes. "Do you truly wish that, Applejack?" she asked seriously, her expression slightly hopeful. "Are you truly willing to accept Equality into your life? Do you see cutie marks as I see them?" She took Applejack's face in her hooves, brushing a strand of blonde hair out of her eyes. "I can help you, Applejack. My little Sunshine. But only if you are willing."

Applejack nodded quickly, her face still cupped in Starlight's hooves. "Yes, mama! Please! Fix this! I'm the same. I know I am! We all are…with cutie mark, we're different…and disagreeing…and fighting. I don't want any of that. And that's the _truth._ "

An odd sound cut through the atmosphere. Before Starlight could open her mouth, Pinkie squealed. "Look!"

Everyone gasped as the three apples on Applejack's flank morphed into an equal sign. Applejack's eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she collapsed to the floor.

" _Applejack!_ " the fillies shrieked.

Wasting no time, Starlight quickly scooped her up and placed the unconscious filly onto her back. "Twilight, keep them here," she called, racing inside her bedroom. She slammed the door behind her and locked it with her magic. She gently placed Applejack on her bed and felt for a pulse. Starlight sighed upon knowing that Applejack was still alive. _But still, her pulse is weak._ She paced around in a circle, breathing heavily. Beads of sweat started to form underneath her bangs.

 _That transformation nearly killed her. How is any of this possible? I mean…them being equal is what I've always dreamed of, but I'M supposed to give them the mark…when I decided they were ready. But she developed one of her own…._ She turned to look at Applejack's her eyes wide with realization. _Because she believed in it._ "Of course!" she said out loud, but made sure she kept her voice down.

"She gave herself the mark. Because she now knows the truth. But nopony can do that…although, she's still an Element of Harmony. And from what I've read, the Elements of Harmony can defy all odds, defeat all those in its path…." A slow smile crept across her face. _Except for me. I've changed their way of thinking, given them a new purpose in life…_

Starlight sat on the bed and stared at Applejack for a long time. After a while, she slowly reached down and stroked Applejack's cheek. … _But at what cost?_

"I'm scared, mommy," Rarity said quietly, her bread untouched. "What if she never wakes up?"

Starlight sighed, and rubbed her temple. She had been asked that difficult question several times. Not knowing the answer made it worse for all of them. Applejack had been unconscious for three days now; the only sign of her being alive was her slow and steady breathing. Not one twitch, grunt, or even a snore.

The dinner table had quieted down considerably, and even though that silence during meals was a rare treat, Starlight found herself almost missing the noise. "I don't know, Rarity," Starlight said tiredly. "Your sister's just…sleepy. That's all. Just think of it as a long nap."

Twilight silently stared at her mother from across the table. She couldn't help but feel a little uneasy when Starlight said that.

 _That's not true,_ a little voice said inside her head. _Not all of it, at least. Applejack's in a coma. You know what coma means. Tell them. Tell them what you've learned. Tell mom you can read, and write, and count, and spell. You can even sound out big words now!_

Twilight immediately pushed that thought to the back of her head.

 _I'm not better than anypony else. I'm average, and that's a great thing to be._

"I wish I could sleep for days," Rainbow Dash said, her voice cracking slightly. "Then I wouldn't be bothered all the time." She swung her hind legs under the table, swallowing the lump in her throat. "A.J.'s fine. You're all worry warts."

Fluttershy, who had been sitting silently throughout the entire dinner, pushed her plate back. "I'm not hungry," she murmured. Everyone watched as she quietly slid off her chair, pushed it under the table, and slunk to the girl's bedroom where Applejack slept.

"I'm done too," Twilight said succinctly, using her magic to clear her plate. Rainbow was quick to follow.

"Me too."

"Me too."

One by one, the girls picked up their still full plates and left the table, save Pinkie.

Starlight sighed heavily and buried her face in her hooves. _What am I doing?_ Although, she would like to think of her daughters the same, she couldn't deny that Applejack was the most level headed filly in the house. She was the glue that held the group together. Now she could see that her sisters were lost without her. Lost without each other.

Pinkie took one look at Starlight and got off her chair. She crossed over and placed her tiny hoof over her mother's. Starlight lifted her head and looked down at the five year old in surprise. A bright and reassuring smile adorned her little face. "Don't cry, mommy. Applejack's gonna get better soon. We just need to keep hoping. She wouldn't want us to be afraid. She'd want us to be strong…just like her."

Starlight stared at the pink filly, her mouth half open. Without warning, she pulled Pinkie to her chest and buried her face deep into her mane; she was ruining the filly's braids, but didn't care. Her body shook from holding back sobs.

Twilight stared at the cover of her book, the one she had kept secret for a whole year.

 _Star Swirl's Properties of Magic._

She inhaled through her nose and opened the secret door in the living room. While mom was still busy in the dining room with Pinkie, she took the opportunity to get rid of the book for good. As much as she cared for it, it made her an individual. Something that set her apart from the family. It was hard, not just for her, but the others as well. It was the only secret the little Glimmers had shared. They had learned to read and write, and it was the only colorful thing they owned. But after what happened with Applejack….

Twilight squeezed her eyes shut. _Books don't make me smarter at all. It only made me a terrible sister._

She opened her eyes and put the book back and concealed the opening for the last time. She gave a broken hearted sigh, but deep inside, she knew she had done the right thing.

 _Applejack galloped through the dark forest, bumping and crashing into twisted trees that towered high above her. The wind howled over her terrified cries for help. Up in the darkened sky, high above the branches, storm clouds swirled around above her like an upside down whirlpool. The outline of a terrifying creature with wings_ and _a horn appeared behind the thickness of the clouds and grew sharp teeth as it screamed her name. Applejack gasped in horror and ran faster, avoiding golden coins that scattered along the path. As she went deeper into the forest, her ears suddenly perked up._

" _Applejack!"_

 _She skidded to a halt and whirled around. "T-Twilight? Is that you!?"_

" _Applejack! Help me!"_

 _The filly reared back and ran towards Twilight's frightened voice. "I'm comin' Twilight!"_

 _The creature, the storm, nothing else mattered anymore. What mattered was getting to her sister. She came to a clearing that had a long cliff at the end of it. Twilight desperately hung on to the edge, her eyes wide with terror. "Applejack!" Her hooves began to slip, but Applejack dove forward and grabbed her hooves before she could go over the edge._

" _I gotcha, Twi," she grunted._

" _Applejack," Twilight strained, glancing over her shoulder at the bottomless void below. "What do we do?!"_

" _I'll think of somethin'. Don't you worry, sis. I'll get us out of this!"_

" _Are you crazy?!" Twilight shrieked._

 _Applejack was surprised by Twilight's words. "Whaddaya mean? If you got a better idea, I'd love to hear it!"_

 _Twilight looked at her, but this time it was not an expression of fear. It was almost like her face had been erased of all emotion. Before Applejack could question it, Twilight spoke, her eyes clouded. "We're slipping."_

 _Applejack blinked in confusion. "What?" Then, a split second later, Applejack said something else. But it wasn't her, it couldn't be. She didn't even feel her mouth open and her lips didn't form the words. She wouldn't, couldn't say those awful words, even if they had no chance of surviving. But it was her voice—and she did say it._

" _Let go."_

 _Applejack's scream lodged in her throat as Twilight tumbled down to the sharp rocks below._

" _Applejack!"_

"Applejack!" Twilight shook her crying sister. "Applejack, wake up! Wake up!"

Applejack's eyes snapped open and bolted upright, gasping. "It's alright!" Twilight said shakily, hugging the trembling filly. She made soothing sounds as she stroked Applejack's mane, which was damp with sweat. "It was just a dream. Only a dream."

Applejack slowly pulled back to look at Twilight. Her wide eyes drank in every bit of the little unicorn's face. "You're…you're okay?"

Twilight blinked and let out a laugh. "Of course I am! It's you we're so worried about!"

"…We?"

She looked past Twilight and saw the rest of her sisters standing two feet behind with frightful expressions. Applejack raised an eyebrow. "What's eating you guys?" The young girl was immediately blown back by joyous screams; countless hooves wrapped around her body, squeezing the life out of her.

"You're alive!"

"Are you okay?"

"CAN YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

"You must be awfully hungry!"

"Ugh! Give her _room,_ everypony!" Twilight grunted, squished in between Fluttershy and Pinkie. The fillies backed off sheepishly, but only by a few inches. .

Rainbow gave a weak grin. "You really had us going there, doofus," she said, messing up Applejack's bangs. "Don't ever do that again, okay?"

Applejack smirked and poked her in the chest. "Wouldn't count on it, brainless. But…what happened?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Lemme tell her!" Pinkie shouted before anypony else got a word in. "Remember when we accidently broke the stick and mom found out about it and everything?"

Applejack nodded.

"During naptime, you earned your cutie mark—"

"Cutie mark!?"

"Yeah, but after you told mom it disappeared! I guess she made it go away with her super eyeball powers, she's _that good!_ But then afterwards, you were like 'Uuuugh' and fell to the floor, and then _we_ were like 'Aaaaah!' And you didn't wake up for like three days—"

"Three days!?"

"Uh huh, and were really really scared!" She crawled forward and nuzzled her lovingly. "But you're okay now, Applejack. We knew we wouldn't lose you."

An odd expression etched the other girl's features. "What did you call me?"

The girls glanced at one another. "Uhhh….Applejack?" Pinkie repeated unsurely.

"What are you talking about? I'm not Applejack. I'm _Sunshine,_ remember?"

"You see, mom?" Rainbow said, gesturing to Applejack. "She's a total whack job!"

Starlight directed a stern gaze towards her. "What did I say about name-calling, Rainbow?"

"I'm sorry mom," Rainbow said in a high, somewhat pleading voice, "But she's _acting_ like one!"

"Why do you keep calling her that, mom?" Applejack asked. The other fillies noticed that the accent from before had gone away. "You know her name's Prism."

"Yow not making any _sense!_ " Rarity said exasperatingly, her lisp slipping in. "I'm stawting to think you hit yow head too hawd!"

"APPLEJACK," Pinkie shouted, gripping said girl's shoulders. "IT'S ME, PINKIE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORDS THAT ARE COMING OUT OF MY MOUTH!?"

Twilight irritably pulled her off. "She just lost her memory, she's not deaf!"

Starlight, who had been silently watching them, finally spoke. "And your mark?" she inquired carefully. "You don't find it…odd?"

Applejack glanced at her flank and looked up with a curious expression. "You mean this? I've always had this…didn't I?"

The other fillies stood in shocked silence. They had _never_ seen their sister this way. Her demeanor hadn't changed, but she had a very confused way about her. Applejack was still here, yet she wasn't. Some threw Starlight anxious looks, silently pleading her to do something— _anything_ to heal their sister.

Starlight ignored them all, and walked over to Applejack, her hoof caressing her face. "Sunshine…why don't you go to your room and lie down a bit, okay?"

Applejack stared at her mother and nodded. "…Okay. Maybe I do need a nap," she mumbled, rubbing her head as she turned away. "I don't feel too good…"

"It's official," Rainbow sighed as soon as she disappeared down the hall. "She's lost it."

Fluttershy's ears flattened against her head. "I feel so _bad_ for her…I wish there was something we could do…"

"There _is_ something we can do," Starlight said suddenly with her back turned to them.

The girls shared a surprised look. "There is?" Twilight asked hopefully.

"Yes." Starlight turned to face them, smiling oddly. "Come with me, children…single file…"

The girls formed a line behind their mother without hesitation and followed closely from behind. "We're going to mother's room," Fluttershy whispered. "We're barely allowed in _there._ "

"Then it _must_ be serious," Rarity said quietly.

"Don't worry," Rainbow said to her. "Mom always knows what to do."

Starlight opened her bedroom door, letting the girls inside. "Come right in, my starlings. Mommy's going to make everything better."

The girls drank in every bit of the room as much as they could. It was the only room in the cave that was off limits to them. It was quite simple with a bed, a side table, a closet, and a picture frame with an equal sign inside that hung above the bed. Everything about the room was very big and adult-like to them.

"It even _smells_ grown up," Rainbow whispered to Fluttershy.

Starlight wordlessly closed the door and turned to her five daughters, all lined up against the wall. She crossed over to them and let her eyes fall on each filly, one by one. "I've…I've been a good mother to you, haven't I?"

The girls shared confused looks, perplexed at their mother's odd question. "Well, of course you have," Twilight answered with a smile. "You're the best mom a girl could ask for!" The others nodded, backing up her words.

Starlight shifted slightly. "And…do you truly understand what it means to be Equal? Do you believe it with all your heart?"

"We understand, mommy," Fluttershy said. "We know that equality brings peace to the world, even though not everypony understands that yet."

"And that cutie marks cause hate," Rainbow added. "Nopony sticks up for each other."

"Differences bring selfishness," Rarity said. "Equalness helps us be better ponies."

Twilight nodded. "Everypony has the same talents, and the same strengths. It makes us stronger, being _together._ "

" _And,_ " Pinkie chimed in, "We always, always, _always_ greet each other with a grin, because it's so much better knowing that you're just like everypony else! That's something to smile about!"

A wide grin traveled over Starlight's face. "That's all I needed to hear."

A burst of blue light shot up from Starlight's horn; a surge of magic swept around them, growing larger in size as it swirled about. The girls cried out and huddled together, some clinging to each other as the magical storm intensified.

"M-Mommy?!" Twilight shrieked. "What's happening? What are you doing!?"

The mare stood with her eyes rolled back in euphoria, her calm yet crazed grin chilling Twilight to the bone. "I'm making it better, dear Twilight. Just like I promised."

"I'm scaaaared!" Pinkie wailed, her face masked with tears of fright. Rarity and Fluttershy screamed at the top of their lungs.

"Don't be afraid, my starlings," Starlight smiled, tears running down her own cheeks. "You're serving a higher purpose for your country….Equestria….will thank me."

The five fillies latched onto one another and held on.

" _I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"_

" _F-Fluttershy…"_

" _Let me guess. You're Rainbow Dash."_

" _THE one and only!"_

" _Oh, yes! Sparkle always does the trick, does it not? Why Rarity, you are a talent!"_

" _SUPRISE! Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you!"_

Twilight opened her eyes, droplets of tears soaring skyward. "….Who _are_ we?"

"Sleep, my dears. A new era is coming…"

 _Eight years later…._

Moonlight turned to her sister with a deadpanned expression. "You _must_ be joking."

But Pearl's hopeful expression immediately trumped that idea. She was actually serious. Moonlight rolled her eyes. "Pearl, you know full well that we're not allowed outside the cave walls."

Pearl scuffed her hoof against the kitchen floor. "I-I know, but…we're thirteen now. We can take care of ourselves!"

Moonlight went back to stirring her pot of porridge with her magic. "Our birthday was last week. Besides, thirteen or eighteen, mother would never allow it. We have everything we need right here, Pearlie. We have each other, that's all that matters. Pass me that salt, please?"

The pink pony sighed and handed her the small glass container. The salt did nothing to improve the food, it was always fun to add…at least it used to be.

She trotted out of the kitchen and made her way to the bedroom, where she found Prism napping. The pegasus turned over on her bed and threw her an annoyed but sleepy glare. "Don't you ever knock?"

"It's my room too, you know," Pinkie replied, secretly happy that she disturbed Prism's nap. She bounced over to Prism's bed and leaned in. "I'm going to do something that's really dangerous, but exciting at the same time!"

Now, Prism was awake. "Yeah?"

"Mmm-hmm. I'm going to ask mom if we could go _outside_ the cave."

Prism snorted, shaking her head. "Yeah, right."

"I am! Now that we're teenagers, she'll _have_ to say yes!"

"You _do_ remember the last time we asked, don't you?"

"Well, that was a long time ago. Aren't you the least bit curious? Don't you want to know what it's like outside?"

Prism leaned back onto her pillow and shielded her eyes with her forearm. "Of course I do. But rules are rules, Pearls."

Pearl turned her head and gazed outside the window. The brilliant pink and violet sky stretched out for miles over the snowy ice capped mountains. Birds soared towards the sun, free as spirits.

"Dinner's ready!" Moonlight called.

Prism leapt out of bed and scampered out the door. " _Finally!_ "

Pearl slowly followed suit, but not before stealing another glance outside.

 _The sun sinks behind dark misty mountains like a stone falls into water._

 _Two halves of the same mourn for their daughter._

 _For you were the sun that shined brighter every day_

 _Though it pleased a dark cloud to take you away._

 _Three sisters, three balloons, smile their best_

 _Because we know in our hearts, in heaven's arms you rest._

 _As long as laughter is heard, your spirit will never die_

 _From Maud, to you, my sweet sister Pinkie Pie._

"Whaddaya mean, you don't know?" Rainbow demanded.

"Yeah," Pinkie breathed, unable to take her eyes off the brand new cutie mark. "Fruit just appeared on your butt!"

Applejack swished her tail in slight annoyance. "It ain't my fault!"

Twilight winced slightly at the grammatical error. "Isn't."

"What?"

"It _isn't_ your fault. This calls for investigation." She pulled out a notebook and pencil and started writing things down.

Rarity slowly began to panic. "This is awful! What would mom say? You brought a-a _cutie mark_ into this house! This is a disgrace!" Applejack's ears flattened. "Maybe if I could make a dress or something to cover it up—"

"No," Applejack said firmly. She winced as she sat up, letting the washcloths slide off her back. "No more lies. It's best if I tell her. She's gonna find out sooner or later."

Fluttershy clutched at Applejack's foreleg. "B-But…what if mommy…"

Applejack fixed her with a glare, stopping Fluttershy short. "No more lies," she stated firmly. "Lyin's what got me into this in the first place…" She looked down at her cutie mark and turned away in shame. "M-Maybe she could fix it. Make it go away."

The girls stopped to consider this. Applejack was right. Maybe mom _could_ fix the cutie mark, and then everything would go back to normal. "I _guess_ so…" Twilight said carefully.

"What's it like?" Pinkie blurted suddenly. This time, no one reprimanded her for even entertaining the thought of having a cutie mark, because everyone was secretly thinking the exact same question.

Applejack thought for a moment. "I don't _feel_ any different. It's just there, I guess."

"Well, you sure talk funny," Rainbow said with a bit of humor.

Applejack gently rubbed her throat. "What happened to my voice? Maybe cutie marks automatically change your voice when you get it."

"Cutie mark….causes ….voice change…." Twilight murmured as she scribbled it down on the sheet of paper. She stopped and looked her sister up and down. "Other than those things, you haven't changed at all. Do you feel it on you?"

"Nope. I might have felt a weird tingle, but that was it."

Rarity squinted her eyes. "But what does it _mean?_ Three apples? That doesn't make any sense!"

"Mom says that ponies get a cutie mark when they know their special talent," Rainbow reminded them. "Maybe she's an apple taste tester."

"That's a terrible job!" Applejack said, wrinkling her nose. "I don't even like apples that much. They hurt my teeth!"

"Well your name _is Apple_ jack," Fluttershy suggested. "Maybe that means something?"

"That's actually a really good point, Fluttershy," Twilight said, jotting it down. "Maybe it's name related."

Pinkie beamed. "Oooh! Maybe my cutie mark will be something pink! _Sunsets_ are pink sometimes. Maybe my special talent is chasing sunsets! That'll be fun!"

"I'm good at…being shy," Fluttershy said.

"That's every day," Applejack pointed out.

"But that doesn't mean it would be any less good than yours."

Rainbow looked at her own flank and scratched her head. "Uhh…maybe I…discover rainbows? Or…dash to places?"

Rarity snorted. "Some talent."

"Like _your invisible_ talent? It'll be _rare_ alright!" Rainbow shot back.

Twilight stomped her hoof before Rarity could retort.

"That's enough! Don't you see what's happening? Look at us! Already, we're fighting over what kind of talent we'll have! Just like mom said we would!" The girls stood in shocked silence and lowered their heads. "Soon, we'll tear each other apart, our friendship ruined, and for what?" Twilight looked around at her downtrodden sisters. None of them dared to look her in the eye. "What?" Twilight repeated angrily.

A single tear ran down Fluttershy's cheek. "I don't know what came over me…"

"Cutie marks need to be stopped," Rarity murmured. "It turned us against each other in just minutes! I'm sorry, Rainbow."

"Girls! Time for dinner!"

Applejack felt her stomach churn. "I guess this is it, then."

"Don't worry A.J., Pinkie said as they made their way to the main room. "Mom's gonna fix everything, you'll see…then you'll be just like us again." Despite her positive words, her voice lacked its usual enthusiasm.

Rainbow narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "By the way…you don't think you're _better_ than us, do you?"

Applejack sighed. "No. In fact, I feel worse. But…who knows what this mark is capable of."

They trailed into the dining room where Starlight waited beside the dinner table. "Dinner's ready," she said, looking at her daughter's expectantly. The girls ducked their heads and looked anywhere but where their mother stood, cringing slightly.

Starlight frowned in confusion. "Is there something wrong?"

Her only response was the nervous shuffling of hooves. Starlight straightened up. "Is this because of what happened this afternoon? If so, do not go about thinking that punishing you is something I personally enjoy. I want you girls to know—"

"Mom," Applejack squeaked, stepping forward. "I did somethin' terrible."

Starlight's heart dropped into her stomach, and her coat turned three shades lighter. Her voice. Her southern accent. _How?_ "W…what did you say, Applejack?"

With watery eyes, Applejack turned to the side, revealing her cutie mark. Starlight gasped and stumbled backward into the dinner table, knocking over a bowl of lukewarm soup. The girls visibly flinched at the sound of glass breaking, shattering the atmosphere.

For the first time in years, Starlight felt cold hard fear wash over her. _It's not possible! I erased everything! EVERYTHING! Well…except for their knowledge of their own names…but even so, they shouldn't be able to get their cutie marks back! It can't be done!_ She nervously glanced at the other fillies, looking fearful and anxious. But most of all, they looked curious and expectant. The unicorn started to breathe heavily. _What am I going to do? I can't send her away or punish her… no, that would turn them against me…wait…_

Her eyes focused on Applejack and saw tears running down the filly's face. "Why are you crying, Applejack?"

The young girl looked up, her eyes filled with regret and shame. "I…I'm sorry, mama. I didn't mean to get… _this._ I don't know how it happened or why…I…I…." Applejack flung herself into Starlight's embrace and buried her face into her chest. Her tiny body wracked with sobs as she struggled with her words. "I'm sorry! P-Please don't kick me out! I don't wanna be different! I wanna be equal…I'm no better than anypony else…"

Starlight's eyes widened slightly. _Maybe…maybe this wasn't for naught after all…it seems I still have her mind…but what about her heart? If I can convince her…make her see…._

She gently pushed her daughter back and sat down on her haunches, gazing into Applejack's red puffy eyes. "Do you truly wish that, Applejack?" she asked seriously, her expression slightly hopeful. "Are you truly willing to accept Equality into your life? Do you see cutie marks as I see them?" She took Applejack's face in her hooves, brushing a strand of blonde hair out of her eyes. "I can help you, Applejack. My little Sunshine. But only if you are willing."

Applejack nodded quickly, her face still cupped in Starlight's hooves. "Yes, mama! Please! Fix this! I'm the same. I know I am! We all are…with cutie mark, we're different…and disagreeing…and fighting. I don't want any of that. And that's the _truth._ "

An odd sound cut through the atmosphere. Before Starlight could open her mouth, Pinkie squealed. "Look!"

Everyone gasped as the three apples on Applejack's flank morphed into an equal sign. Applejack's eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she collapsed to the floor.

" _Applejack!_ " the fillies shrieked.

Wasting no time, Starlight quickly scooped her up and placed the unconscious filly onto her back. "Twilight, keep them here," she called, racing inside her bedroom. She slammed the door behind her and locked it with her magic. She gently placed Applejack on her bed and felt for a pulse. Starlight sighed upon knowing that Applejack was still alive. _But still, her pulse is weak._ She paced around in a circle, breathing heavily. Beads of sweat started to form underneath her bangs.

 _That transformation nearly killed her. How is any of this possible? I mean…them being equal is what I've always dreamed of, but I'M supposed to give them the mark…when I decided they were ready. But she developed one of her own…._ She turned to look at Applejack's her eyes wide with realization. _Because she believed in it._ "Of course!" she said out loud, but made sure she kept her voice down.

"She gave herself the mark. Because she now knows the truth. But nopony can do that…although, she's still an Element of Harmony. And from what I've read, the Elements of Harmony can defy all odds, defeat all those in its path…." A slow smile crept across her face. _Except for me. I've changed their way of thinking, given them a new purpose in life…_

Starlight sat on the bed and stared at Applejack for a long time. After a while, she slowly reached down and stroked Applejack's cheek. … _But at what cost?_

"I'm scared, mommy," Rarity said quietly, her bread untouched. "What if she never wakes up?"

Starlight sighed, and rubbed her temple. She had been asked that difficult question several times. Not knowing the answer made it worse for all of them. Applejack had been unconscious for three days now; the only sign of her being alive was her slow and steady breathing. Not one twitch, grunt, or even a snore.

The dinner table had quieted down considerably, and even though that silence during meals was a rare treat, Starlight found herself almost missing the noise. "I don't know, Rarity," Starlight said tiredly. "Your sister's just…sleepy. That's all. Just think of it as a long nap."

Twilight silently stared at her mother from across the table. She couldn't help but feel a little uneasy when Starlight said that.

 _That's not true,_ a little voice said inside her head. _Not all of it, at least. Applejack's in a coma. You know what coma means. Tell them. Tell them what you've learned. Tell mom you can read, and write, and count, and spell. You can even sound out big words now!_

Twilight immediately pushed that thought to the back of her head.

 _I'm not better than anypony else. I'm average, and that's a great thing to be._

"I wish I could sleep for days," Rainbow Dash said, her voice cracking slightly. "Then I wouldn't be bothered all the time." She swung her hind legs under the table, swallowing the lump in her throat. "A.J.'s fine. You're all worry warts."

Fluttershy, who had been sitting silently throughout the entire dinner, pushed her plate back. "I'm not hungry," she murmured. Everyone watched as she quietly slid off her chair, pushed it under the table, and slunk to the girl's bedroom where Applejack slept.

"I'm done too," Twilight said succinctly, using her magic to clear her plate. Rainbow was quick to follow.

"Me too."

"Me too."

One by one, the girls picked up their still full plates and left the table, save Pinkie.

Starlight sighed heavily and buried her face in her hooves. _What am I doing?_ Although, she would like to think of her daughters the same, she couldn't deny that Applejack was the most level headed filly in the house. She was the glue that held the group together. Now she could see that her sisters were lost without her. Lost without each other.

Pinkie took one look at Starlight and got off her chair. She crossed over and placed her tiny hoof over her mother's. Starlight lifted her head and looked down at the five year old in surprise. A bright and reassuring smile adorned her little face. "Don't cry, mommy. Applejack's gonna get better soon. We just need to keep hoping. She wouldn't want us to be afraid. She'd want us to be strong…just like her."

Starlight stared at the pink filly, her mouth half open. Without warning, she pulled Pinkie to her chest and buried her face deep into her mane; she was ruining the filly's braids, but didn't care. Her body shook from holding back sobs.

Twilight stared at the cover of her book, the one she had kept secret for a whole year.

 _Star Swirl's Properties of Magic._

She inhaled through her nose and opened the secret door in the living room. While mom was still busy in the dining room with Pinkie, she took the opportunity to get rid of the book for good. As much as she cared for it, it made her an individual. Something that set her apart from the family. It was hard, not just for her, but the others as well. It was the only secret the little Glimmers had shared. They had learned to read and write, and it was the only colorful thing they owned. But after what happened with Applejack….

Twilight squeezed her eyes shut. _Books don't make me smarter at all. It only made me a terrible sister._

She opened her eyes and put the book back and concealed the opening for the last time. She gave a broken hearted sigh, but deep inside, she knew she had done the right thing.

 _Applejack galloped through the dark forest, bumping and crashing into twisted trees that towered high above her. The wind howled over her terrified cries for help. Up in the darkened sky, high above the branches, storm clouds swirled around above her like an upside down whirlpool. The outline of a terrifying creature with wings_ and _a horn appeared behind the thickness of the clouds and grew sharp teeth as it screamed her name. Applejack gasped in horror and ran faster, avoiding golden coins that scattered along the path. As she went deeper into the forest, her ears suddenly perked up._

" _Applejack!"_

 _She skidded to a halt and whirled around. "T-Twilight? Is that you!?"_

" _Applejack! Help me!"_

 _The filly reared back and ran towards Twilight's frightened voice. "I'm comin' Twilight!"_

 _The creature, the storm, nothing else mattered anymore. What mattered was getting to her sister. She came to a clearing that had a long cliff at the end of it. Twilight desperately hung on to the edge, her eyes wide with terror. "Applejack!" Her hooves began to slip, but Applejack dove forward and grabbed her hooves before she could go over the edge._

" _I gotcha, Twi," she grunted._

" _Applejack," Twilight strained, glancing over her shoulder at the bottomless void below. "What do we do?!"_

" _I'll think of somethin'. Don't you worry, sis. I'll get us out of this!"_

" _Are you crazy?!" Twilight shrieked._

 _Applejack was surprised by Twilight's words. "Whaddaya mean? If you got a better idea, I'd love to hear it!"_

 _Twilight looked at her, but this time it was not an expression of fear. It was almost like her face had been erased of all emotion. Before Applejack could question it, Twilight spoke, her eyes clouded. "We're slipping."_

 _Applejack blinked in confusion. "What?" Then, a split second later, Applejack said something else. But it wasn't her, it couldn't be. She didn't even feel her mouth open and her lips didn't form the words. She wouldn't, couldn't say those awful words, even if they had no chance of surviving. But it was her voice—and she did say it._

" _Let go."_

 _Applejack's scream lodged in her throat as Twilight tumbled down to the sharp rocks below._

" _Applejack!"_

"Applejack!" Twilight shook her crying sister. "Applejack, wake up! Wake up!"

Applejack's eyes snapped open and bolted upright, gasping. "It's alright!" Twilight said shakily, hugging the trembling filly. She made soothing sounds as she stroked Applejack's mane, which was damp with sweat. "It was just a dream. Only a dream."

Applejack slowly pulled back to look at Twilight. Her wide eyes drank in every bit of the little unicorn's face. "You're…you're okay?"

Twilight blinked and let out a laugh. "Of course I am! It's you we're so worried about!"

"…We?"

She looked past Twilight and saw the rest of her sisters standing two feet behind with frightful expressions. Applejack raised an eyebrow. "What's eating you guys?" The young girl was immediately blown back by joyous screams; countless hooves wrapped around her body, squeezing the life out of her.

"You're alive!"

"Are you okay?"

"CAN YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

"You must be awfully hungry!"

"Ugh! Give her _room,_ everypony!" Twilight grunted, squished in between Fluttershy and Pinkie. The fillies backed off sheepishly, but only by a few inches. .

Rainbow gave a weak grin. "You really had us going there, doofus," she said, messing up Applejack's bangs. "Don't ever do that again, okay?"

Applejack smirked and poked her in the chest. "Wouldn't count on it, brainless. But…what happened?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Lemme tell her!" Pinkie shouted before anypony else got a word in. "Remember when we accidently broke the stick and mom found out about it and everything?"

Applejack nodded.

"During naptime, you earned your cutie mark—"

"Cutie mark!?"

"Yeah, but after you told mom it disappeared! I guess she made it go away with her super eyeball powers, she's _that good!_ But then afterwards, you were like 'Uuuugh' and fell to the floor, and then _we_ were like 'Aaaaah!' And you didn't wake up for like three days—"

"Three days!?"

"Uh huh, and were really really scared!" She crawled forward and nuzzled her lovingly. "But you're okay now, Applejack. We knew we wouldn't lose you."

An odd expression etched the other girl's features. "What did you call me?"

The girls glanced at one another. "Uhhh….Applejack?" Pinkie repeated unsurely.

"What are you talking about? I'm not Applejack. I'm _Sunshine,_ remember?"

"You see, mom?" Rainbow said, gesturing to Applejack. "She's a total whack job!"

Starlight directed a stern gaze towards her. "What did I say about name-calling, Rainbow?"

"I'm sorry mom," Rainbow said in a high, somewhat pleading voice, "But she's _acting_ like one!"

"Why do you keep calling her that, mom?" Applejack asked. The other fillies noticed that the accent from before had gone away. "You know her name's Prism."

"Yow not making any _sense!_ " Rarity said exasperatingly, her lisp slipping in. "I'm stawting to think you hit yow head too hawd!"

"APPLEJACK," Pinkie shouted, gripping said girl's shoulders. "IT'S ME, PINKIE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORDS THAT ARE COMING OUT OF MY MOUTH!?"

Twilight irritably pulled her off. "She just lost her memory, she's not deaf!"

Starlight, who had been silently watching them, finally spoke. "And your mark?" she inquired carefully. "You don't find it…odd?"

Applejack glanced at her flank and looked up with a curious expression. "You mean this? I've always had this…didn't I?"

The other fillies stood in shocked silence. They had _never_ seen their sister this way. Her demeanor hadn't changed, but she had a very confused way about her. Applejack was still here, yet she wasn't. Some threw Starlight anxious looks, silently pleading her to do something— _anything_ to heal their sister.

Starlight ignored them all, and walked over to Applejack, her hoof caressing her face. "Sunshine…why don't you go to your room and lie down a bit, okay?"

Applejack stared at her mother and nodded. "…Okay. Maybe I do need a nap," she mumbled, rubbing her head as she turned away. "I don't feel too good…"

"It's official," Rainbow sighed as soon as she disappeared down the hall. "She's lost it."

Fluttershy's ears flattened against her head. "I feel so _bad_ for her…I wish there was something we could do…"

"There _is_ something we can do," Starlight said suddenly with her back turned to them.

The girls shared a surprised look. "There is?" Twilight asked hopefully.

"Yes." Starlight turned to face them, smiling oddly. "Come with me, children…single file…"

The girls formed a line behind their mother without hesitation and followed closely from behind. "We're going to mother's room," Fluttershy whispered. "We're barely allowed in _there._ "

"Then it _must_ be serious," Rarity said quietly.

"Don't worry," Rainbow said to her. "Mom always knows what to do."

Starlight opened her bedroom door, letting the girls inside. "Come right in, my starlings. Mommy's going to make everything better."

The girls drank in every bit of the room as much as they could. It was the only room in the cave that was off limits to them. It was quite simple with a bed, a side table, a closet, and a picture frame with an equal sign inside that hung above the bed. Everything about the room was very big and adult-like to them.

"It even _smells_ grown up," Rainbow whispered to Fluttershy.

Starlight wordlessly closed the door and turned to her five daughters, all lined up against the wall. She crossed over to them and let her eyes fall on each filly, one by one. "I've…I've been a good mother to you, haven't I?"

The girls shared confused looks, perplexed at their mother's odd question. "Well, of course you have," Twilight answered with a smile. "You're the best mom a girl could ask for!" The others nodded, backing up her words.

Starlight shifted slightly. "And…do you truly understand what it means to be Equal? Do you believe it with all your heart?"

"We understand, mommy," Fluttershy said. "We know that equality brings peace to the world, even though not everypony understands that yet."

"And that cutie marks cause hate," Rainbow added. "Nopony sticks up for each other."

"Differences bring selfishness," Rarity said. "Equalness helps us be better ponies."

Twilight nodded. "Everypony has the same talents, and the same strengths. It makes us stronger, being _together._ "

" _And,_ " Pinkie chimed in, "We always, always, _always_ greet each other with a grin, because it's so much better knowing that you're just like everypony else! That's something to smile about!"

A wide grin traveled over Starlight's face. "That's all I needed to hear."

A burst of blue light shot up from Starlight's horn; a surge of magic swept around them, growing larger in size as it swirled about. The girls cried out and huddled together, some clinging to each other as the magical storm intensified.

"M-Mommy?!" Twilight shrieked. "What's happening? What are you doing!?"

The mare stood with her eyes rolled back in euphoria, her calm yet crazed grin chilling Twilight to the bone. "I'm making it better, dear Twilight. Just like I promised."

"I'm scaaaared!" Pinkie wailed, her face masked with tears of fright. Rarity and Fluttershy screamed at the top of their lungs.

"Don't be afraid, my starlings," Starlight smiled, tears running down her own cheeks. "You're serving a higher purpose for your country….Equestria….will thank me."

The five fillies latched onto one another and held on.

" _I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"_

" _F-Fluttershy…"_

" _Let me guess. You're Rainbow Dash."_

" _THE one and only!"_

" _Oh, yes! Sparkle always does the trick, does it not? Why Rarity, you are a talent!"_

" _SUPRISE! Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you!"_

Twilight opened her eyes, droplets of tears soaring skyward. "….Who _are_ we?"

"Sleep, my dears. A new era is coming…"

 _Eight years later…._

Moonlight turned to her sister with a deadpanned expression. "You _must_ be joking."

But Pearl's hopeful expression immediately trumped that idea. She was actually serious. Moonlight rolled her eyes. "Pearl, you know full well that we're not allowed outside the cave walls."

Pearl scuffed her hoof against the kitchen floor. "I-I know, but…we're thirteen now. We can take care of ourselves!"

Moonlight went back to stirring her pot of porridge with her magic. "Our birthday was last week. Besides, thirteen or eighteen, mother would never allow it. We have everything we need right here, Pearlie. We have each other, that's all that matters. Pass me that salt, please?"

The pink pony sighed and handed her the small glass container. The salt did nothing to improve the food, it was always fun to add…at least it used to be.

She trotted out of the kitchen and made her way to the bedroom, where she found Prism napping. The pegasus turned over on her bed and threw her an annoyed but sleepy glare. "Don't you ever knock?"

"It's my room too, you know," Pinkie replied, secretly happy that she disturbed Prism's nap. She bounced over to Prism's bed and leaned in. "I'm going to do something that's really dangerous, but exciting at the same time!"

Now, Prism was awake. "Yeah?"

"Mmm-hmm. I'm going to ask mom if we could go _outside_ the cave."

Prism snorted, shaking her head. "Yeah, right."

"I am! Now that we're teenagers, she'll _have_ to say yes!"

"You _do_ remember the last time we asked, don't you?"

"Well, that was a long time ago. Aren't you the least bit curious? Don't you want to know what it's like outside?"

Prism leaned back onto her pillow and shielded her eyes with her forearm. "Of course I do. But rules are rules, Pearls."

Pearl turned her head and gazed outside the window. The brilliant pink and violet sky stretched out for miles over the snowy ice capped mountains. Birds soared towards the sun, free as spirits.

"Dinner's ready!" Moonlight called.

Prism lept out of bed and scampered out the door. " _Finally!_ "

Pearl slowly followed suit, but not before stealing another glance outside.


	5. Like Glimmers In the Sky Part 1

" _Hi, sis. I thought I'd come here to visit. Sorry if I haven't been around much, but…" The young mare chuckled. "Becoming a singer songwriter does keep me occupied now and then. But I wouldn't have it any other way, you know? It's what I've always wanted...and you wanted it for me…."_

 _Tears slowly trickled down her cheeks. "It still hurts, Rarity."_

 _She knelt down and removed a withering bouquet from her sister's tombstone and replaced it with a fresh one. She gave a weak smile, brushing her tears away. "I love you, big sis...I have to go now…" Sweetie Belle stood up and glanced the five other tombstones placed side by side, rose petals blowing in the wind. "And...if you see Granny Smith...tell her we miss her too."_

"Porridge again?" Prism moaned, plopping into her chair. Pearl silently took a seat beside her.

"With peas!" Moonlight said indignantly.

"I thought you liked porridge," Sapphire said from across the table, patting her bun.

"Yeah, but not five days in a row."

"Now, Prism," Starlight reprimanded, setting seven glasses of water on place holders. "Moonlight worked hard on your dinner, the least you can do is show your appreciation for it." She paused as she silently counted the heads of her daughters. "Pearl, Prism, go and tell Buttercup that dinner is ready."

Just then, Buttercup hovered in the dining room, her wings flapping awkwardly. "Oh, oh my goodness—oh no… I—oof!" she landed flat on her stomach in a less than graceful landing. "Ouch."

"Dinner's ready!" Prism and Pearl chorused.

"Good try, Buttercup," Sunshine smiled as the latter sat beside her.

"But not good enough," Buttercup sighed. "I just don't think I'm cut out for flying."

Starlight frowned. "Now don't you say that, Buttercup. You are an average flyer, just like your sister."

"But mom…I'm not sure I even like flying—"

"None of that now," Starlight interrupted as she and Moonlight sat at the table. "You'll keep practicing until you get it right. Prism will continue to help you."

Prism nodded and put her elbows on the table. "You see, Buttercup," she explained, her fore hooves slightly spread apart. "It's like toilet training."

Half the table groaned. "Disgusting," Sapphire muttered, scooping up her porridge with a spoon.

"Why am I even related to her," Moonlight whispered under her breath.

Starlight fixed the cyan pegasus with a warning glare. "There will be no toilet talk at the dinner table, understood?"

Pearl held in a giggle and picked up a bowl and held it out. "Here, Prism, want a _pea_ or two?"

Prism smirked and accepted the bowl. "Sure, I'll _take a dump._ "

Sunshine flew a hoof to her mouth to conceal her grin; the not-so-subtle puns went completely over their mother's head.

Moonlight kicked Prism under the table. "Ow! What?"

The dinner carried on without incident. Pearl's heart thumped inside her chest. The plates were almost completely empty. She briefly considered backing out, but then she remembered how free those birds were. She was dying to get the chance to see what the world was like, even if it was for a day. She tapped her hoof lightly on the table. It was now or never. She took a deep breath. "Mom?"

Starlight lifted her eyes to meet hers. "Yes?"

Pearl stole a brief glance at Prism who regarded her with wide eyes. "Well, uh, I was thinking…since we're thirteen now…" She fidgeted in her seat. "Maybe we could…go with you outside the cave tomorrow?"

Everyone froze, spoons clattering onto the table. Buttercup even let out a gasp, but it was barely louder than a whisper. Pearl shrank under her sibling's glares, ranging from ' _Are you out of your mind?'_ to ' _You're bucked'._ And Starlight…if looks could kill.

The silence stretched on for what it felt like forever, and Pearl was beginning to think that it was a huge mistake when Starlight finally spoke.

"Pearl. I have fed you. Loved you. Gave birth to you, nursed you as a foal, and sheltered you from the harshness of the mountains. And still, it's not enough. I've given up everything for you girls, and you can't even grant me one simple request I ask for in return?"

"B-But—"

"I'm speaking," Starlight hissed. Pearl closed her mouth. Starlight stepped off her chair and paced around the table. "I have said, time and time again that I will let you venture the world when I'm certain that you're ready for it!"

"We're never ready for it!" Pearl argued.

Moonlight gasped. "Pearl!"

"No, she's right!" Prism cut in, her eyebrow furrowing. "I-I mean we've learned so much and—and we do our chores and follow all the rules—we should be allowed to go out, at least one time."

Moonlight's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets and Starlight gave them the death glare. Buttercup sunk lower and lower in her chair while Sapphire took a sudden interest in the table cloth.

Sunshine swallowed nervously. "W-what they mean is, uh—you've taught us a whole lot and we appreciate it. Erm…but living in the mountain for so long…I admit that they've...we've… been feeling a little antsy lately."

She broke into cold sweat when Starlight's angry gaze shifted to her. She chuckled uneasily. "Maybe one outing wouldn't hurt?"

Starlight inhaled sharply through her nose. The teenagers leaned back in their seats for the angry tirade that was sure to come. To their surprise, Starlight smiled. "Well then! If you all feel this way, I have just the thing to cure your antsiness!"

"Thanks a whoooole lot, guys," Moonlight muttered, letting herself fall into bed, sighing in relief as she did so. "I really needed those five hours of cleaning the kitchen _and_ dining room."

"And Moonlight Sapphire and I didn't even do anything," Buttercup added in frustration. Strands of pink hair escaped her bun and clung to her face and neck in thick sweat.

Sapphire nodded in agreement. "It's not fair!" She loosened her hair tie and let her long purple mane fall over her shoulders. "Ohh. That's much better. I had to clean the bathrooms." She shivered at the memory. "Ewwww!"

Prism snorted. "Oh yeah? Try wiping down all the furniture and washing all the windows! If I didn't pass inspection, I had to start all over again! Besides, I still think that mom's overreacting about the whole 'outside' thing."

"Well, I hope you're happy with yourselves." Moonlight scowled at the ceiling. "Because now, she probably doesn't trust us to do anything until we're thirty!"

"Well maybe that makes _her_ wrong," Pearl said simply, her eyes transfixed by the sky once more. "She can't keep us bottled up forever."

Moonlight turned her head. "I've never seen you act like this, Pearl." Said girl lowered her gaze towards the floor, eliciting a small smile from the purple unicorn. "Where's our happy care free Pearlie that we know and love?"

"She's tired of staying in one place all her life," Pearl sighed. She turned to the others. "I want to be out there, with other ponies! No matter how big this place is, it always seems a lot smaller than it used to be." She threw up her hooves. "If I spend another minute in this mountain, I'll go crazy!" The frustrated earth pony threw herself face down onto Prism's bed.

"So what would you have us do?" Sunshine said flatly. "Hold a protest and demand our rights?"

Pearl lifted her head and frowned. "No, that'll never work. We don't even have enough poster boards." The sound of hooves slapping against faces filled the room. Pearl suddenly brightened. "But you know what we _could_ do…"

"Forget it," Sapphire mumbled, closing her eyes.

"We could sneak out while she's grocery shopping!"

"Could somepony rub my back?" Sunshine asked.

"I'm serious! Mom would never know! As long as we get back in time—"

"Now hold on just a minute!" Sapphire interrupted. "There's no way in tartarus are we going behind mother's back!"

"Sapphire!" Buttercup gasped. "Language!"

"Well, we aren't!"

"Oh, come on, guys!" Pearl whined. "I think I'm gonna do it. It's now or never! Come with me, please! Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaaaaaaaase!"

Prism looked incredulous. "Are you crazy?! No, wait, let me rephrase that. You're crazy!"

Peal smiled. "Am I?" She went over to her own bed and climbed in, pulling the covers over her body. "Goodnight~!" she sang.

The girls looked at one another, completely mystified. "Goodnight," they replied uncertainly.

Sapphire turned off the lights, but the five girls lie awake in their beds not knowing if their sister was serious or not.

"And there's bread cooking in the oven," Starlight concluded, levitating her saddlebag onto her back. "I believe that's it! Moonlight, this week, you are in charge. Please, be on your best behavior. Let's not have a repeat of last time…"

The girls glanced at Buttercup, who blushed.

Starlight smiled and kissed each girl on the cheek. "I'll return at five thirty. Be sure to review your lessons on the flashcards I left for you!" She turned to the enormous boulder that blocked the exit and moved it with her magic.

The girls waved goodbye as their mother stepped through the opening and sealed it shut. Afterwards, the girls dispersed throughout the house, intending to enjoy their free time. Prism hung back to watch Pearl, just to see what she would do.

The youngest sibling hummed a tune and went over to pick up a feather duster with her tail. Smiling, she sauntered her way to the living room and dusted the coffee table. Prism eyed her warily and followed her. "Hey Pearl," she said casually. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Getting my chores done early so I have the rest of the day to explore the outside world," Pearl replied cheerfully.

Prism blinked. "...I'll be right back." She turned and ran to the bedroom.

Moonlight sat in bed, reading through the flashcards that magically hung to her eye level. "The confines of a cutie mark can harm yourself and others…"

"Moonlight! Moonlight!" Prism yelled, jumping on the end of her sister's bed. The unicorn rolled her eyes, not bothering to lower the cards.

" _Yes,_ my hot tempered sibling?"

"She's going through with it! I mean, she's _really_ going through with it!"

"There's more than one 'She' in this house, Prism, you'll have to clarify."

Prism groaned in frustration. "Wake up, Moon! Pearl's doing her chores early!"

This time, Moonlight lifted her eyes from the flash cards and laughed. "Oh, goodness! Pearl's cleaning early? The horror!"

"Listen to me!" Prism pushed the flash cards with her hoof and pushed her nose against Moonlight's. "Pearl's doing her chores early so she has the rest of the day to go off and do who knows what! She told me herself!"

Moonlight leaned back and frowned. "But…she can't. Even if she does go through the cave opening, she'll just find more mountain. All those paths and turns…nopony knows the way but mom. Plus, she's probably just bluffing…"

Prism raised an eyebrow. "Do you really wanna take that chance?"

Without a word, Moonlight got up and bounded into the hall with Prism at her heels. Half way through, they bumped into Sapphire. "Oh! I'm sorry… what's wrong?" Sapphire asked, seeing their distraught expressions.

"Pearl," Moonlight rasped.

They pushed forward, leaving Sapphire flabbergasted. She ran to catch up with them. "Wait! What did she do now?"

"It's more what she's about to do," Prism replied without looking back.

As they entered the living room, Sapphire's eyebrows shot up. "You mean she's actually going outside!? B-But I thought she was joking!"

Sunshine poked her head out from the kitchen. "Pearl's doing _what?!_ "

"Pearl," Moonlight said haltingly, causing the earth pony to look up from her couch dusting. The eldest levitated the feather duster out of Pearl's tail and placed it on the coffee table. "We need to talk."

"'Bout what?"

"You can't go out there. Mom forbade us. It isn't right, it—it …you can't do this, Pearl! You'll get lost in the mountain! This is but a small part of it. How do you expect to find the right path, huh?"

Pearl closed her eyes and turned her nose up. "I'll find a way."

"And even if you do find your way out, how will you get through all the snow?" Sapphire interjected. "You'll freeze to death!"

"That's why I'm bringing my cloak!" Pearl chirped.

"You'll starve," Sunshine tried.

"I'll take my half of the bread with me."

"You'll get mauled by wild animals!" Prism threw out.

"No I won't! Mom says that there are no wild animals on the mountain."

"…You'll get hurt." Everypone turned to Buttercup, who had somehow snuck her way into the conversation. "Please don't go, Pearl…we have no idea what's out there. It's too dangerous!"

Pearl smiled warmly. "I'll be fine. If mom can come back in one piece, then so can I. Now, iif you'll excuse me."

She trotted to the girl's bedroom to retrieve her cloak. Sunshine stood stuttering. "Then…then I'm going with you!" she called, running after her.

"Yeah, me too!" Prism said.

"Wait!" Moonlight shouted, watching helplessly as her sisters went to pack. "You can't just—this is not—"

"Catch!" Moonlight flinched when Prism tossed her a cloak as she flew by.

"Get back here!" she yelled after her. Her sisters continued to scatter, throwing on their cloaks, and stuffing the pockets with food. Moonlight shook her head in utter bewilderment. "This is preposterous," she whispered.

"Tough muffins, Moonlight," Sunshine said. "Now are you coming, or aren't you?"

Moonlight swallowed. "But…we'll get into so much trouble if…"

Prism grinned. "Baaaaawk…"

"Baaaaaawwwk Bawk Bawk!" Pearl squawked.

Moonlight flushed red. "I am not chicken! I'm being rational! You know what? Fine! I'll go with you but only because I'm still in charge and…I'm keeping you from doing…dumb things."

After a few more minutes of packing the girls met up in front of the boulder that had been off limits to them their entire lives. Moonlight exhaled slowly to calm her pounding heart. "Sapphire, may I have your assistance?"

Sapphire nodded, and together, they latched on to the boulder with their magic combined. Both unicorns strained as the rock jiggled.

Moonlight already felt herself getting tired.

"Come on, guys, you can do it!" Pearl said.

"One last push, Saph," Moonlight grunted. After a little more maneuvering, the boulder finally rolled aside. Sapphire sighed in exhaustion as she and Moonlight released their hold. They were only used to moving small objects, and it took a lot out of the unicorns.

"Nice!" Prism grinned. The girls peered into the dark void before them. The temperature dropped considerably as a blast of cold air washed over the Glimmers. Sunshine squinted her eyes. "I can't see a thing."

Pearl stepped through the opening, and her eyes widened into the size of golf balls. "Whoa! This isn't regular darkness…this is…advanced darkness." Buttercup shivered, not from the cold, but out of fear. The dark terrified her.

Sapphire smiled at her. "Here, Buttercup." Her blue aura flooded the area with light.

The girls grinned now that they were able to see each other better. "Thank you," Buttercup sighed. One by one, the siblings stepped into through the gaping hole, skin prickling with exhilaration. They looked back at their home with a whole new perspective; It was like leaving a womb.

"Should we leave it open?" Sunshine asked.

Moonlight gave a half hearted shrug and started walking. "Might as well. If we don't get back in time, we're dead anyway."

The six teenagers ventured deeper into the mountain on the single path. The feel of it was very ominous, even with Sapphire lighting the way; the wind whistled softly, and the occasional _drip drip drip_ could be heard here and there, bouncing off the walls. Buttercup flinched at each sound. She stayed very close to Prism, who stared straight ahead with a look of determination that she'd never seen before.

The trek came to a halt when they came to four separate tunnels. Sapphire turned to the others, eyebrow raised. "Now what?"

Prism thought for a moment. "Hey, Moonlight—remember that book you used to keep?"

Sunshine's face broke into a grin. "Oh, yeah! I forgot all about that thing!"

Moonlight still remembered the book. It was her very first, after all. "Yeah? What about it?"

"Well, was there anything in there that could help us out?"

"Are you kidding? I was five years old! How do you expect me to remember everything in that book?"

"Because you're you! You wouldn't forget anything from a book…especially that one. C'mon, Moonlight, at least try."

Relenting, Moonlight lifted a hoof to her head in order to think. "Well…if mom came this way, I could be able to highlight her hoof steps. If it works." She lowered her hoof to the ground and closed her eyes in concentration. "Mind you, I haven't tried this in years…"

Her horn lit up, her violet aura mixing with Sapphire's bright blue. One by one, hoof prints appeared on the floor of the cave, and trailed all the way down the second tunnel to the left.

"Cool!"

"Nice one, Moon!"

"Knew you could do it!"

Sapphire smiled at Moonlight as they continued on. "You'll have to teach me that sometime," she said with a wink. "When mom's not around, of course."

"When mom's not around," Moonlight agreed.

Twenty minutes out of the tunnel, another opening crawled into view, but this time, it didn't lead to another tunnel. Moonlight squinted. "Is—is that it?"

"It is!" Pearl squealed, rushing forward. "Daylight!" When she reached the end, she gasped at the new sensation that assaulted her hooves.

" _Oh! Oh! Oh! Cold!_ "

She stumbled backward and slammed right into Sunshine. "Ow! Hey!"

"Sorry!"

Moonlight leaned down and sniffed the snow before stepping into it. "Oooh! Brrr!"

"Wow, this stuff is cold!" Sunshine exclaimed.

"Well it _is_ snow," Prism said as she pawed the white substance with her hoof. "It's really crunchy though…"

"And wet," Sapphire said with a frown. "I would have brought boots along…if we had boots."

"But you have to admit, it's really beautiful," Buttercup smiled, tracing the letter 'B' in the snow. "You can even write in it."

Pearl stood with a serious expression before dunking her face in the snow and scooping up a small pile in her mouth.

"Eww!"

"Gross!"

Pearl eyed them oddly as she chewed. "Wu? Isss gud!" She swallowed and shivered in delight. "Ooh, and it even turns into water! Try it!"

Sapphire held up a hoof. "I'll pass." She looked up and gasped. "Oh…oh my!" The others followed her wonder-filled gaze. Open skies welcomed their sights; scores of ice capped mountains ranging from tall to small, bridges of all sizes connecting the gaps in between. The view itself moved half of them to tears.

"I never knew the world was _this_ big," Buttercup choked, wiping her eyes.

"Yeah," Prism whispered. "Why would mom want to keep us from all this?"

Moonlight felt a small seed of resentment form inside her stomach. "I...don't know." She straightened up and gave a small cough. "We'd better keep moving. I have a feeling that there's a lot more we need to see."

Heads bobbing in agreement, the small group started down the mountain trail, the snow growing thicker as they went on. "The air smells so crisp," Sapphire noted. As they got farther down the mountain, the snow slowly started to recede, and the atmosphere felt a bit warmer.

They crossed a bridge with as much caution as possible; it took twice as long since Buttercup almost fainted at the height of it. Eventually, they came to a ledge that had only one path down the mountain. This time, they could see trees— _real_ trees—in the far horizon.

Buttercup pointed a hoof out to the right. "Look over there!" If they squinted, they could see an area filled with large buildings. It looked to be a large market place.

Sapphire shook her head. "That's much too far."

Moonlight nodded, reestablishing her spell. "Besides, that's where mom's headed. Running into her is the last thing we need."

"Well, how about there?" Prism asked, pointing farther down. A forest lay at the foot of the mountain, and a few miles from there, they could spot a large clearing filled with booths and houses. They assumed that the tiny black specks moving around were ponies.

"That's pretty far too," Moonlight said doubtfully.

"C'mon, we can do it! We've come this far, haven't we?" Prism started on the trail with a slight skip in her step. The girls looked at each other and shrugged, following suit. By the time they reached the forest, hooves were already feeling sore, but they pressed on. The forest was an odd place. Trees towered over them, almost completely blocking the sun with their leaves. Buttercup particularly loved the smell. There were all sorts of bushes and shrubs, sticks and logs. But above all, there was dirt, and lots of it, much to Sapphire's dismay.

The girls huddled together at the sound of squawking birds. At one time, a spider landed on Pearl's mane, causing her to shriek loudly and run around in circles, screaming "Getitoffgetitoffgetitoooooooff!"

After five minutes of sheer panic and eventual comforting, the girls continued until they came at the very end, and a grassy area came into view. Hooves shuffled in the grass. It had also become very hot, so the girls took off their cloaks and set them beside a nearby tree. Growing hungry, Moonlight declared a break, and they each sat on the cool grass and munched on pieces of bread as they enjoyed the beautiful day.

Sunshine sighed as she lay on her stomach, letting the warm sun hit her back. "This feels so nice…"

Pearl rolled around in the grass, giggling. "I love grass!"

Prism lay on her back and let out a sound of pure contentment while stretching all four hooves out. "We should do this more often."

Moonlight smiled upon seeing her sisters having fun. "Maybe we should. The place is just down that way. We can leave our stuff here, I think."

Leaving their cloaks behind, the girls descended the hill and arrived at the town. The buildings and houses looked to be built out of wood. Booths were lined up everywhere and carried a large variety of food and clothing that they had never seen before. But what shocked them the most were the ponies.

Mares and stallions alike all looked completely different; they came in different shapes and sizes, different colors, young and old. Some had mustaches, others had beards. A few had really long manes that almost touched the ground, and they saw at least a few stallions that didn't have manes at all! Some wore glasses and jewelry and shirts and hats; others wore shoes and scarves and saddlebags.

It was a definite culture shock to the young teenagers. "And they all have… _c…cutie marks,_ " Buttercup whispered. It was true. Everypony there had a different cutie mark; they saw a dolphin, a music note, some flowers, even articles of clothing. And they all seemed to be...getting along? The girls stood in awe at what they were seeing.

The large numbers of ponies were all going in different directions, brushing past one another, talking, shouting, and laughing. A group of mares strolled by, enjoying some sort of pastry, laughing like they didn't have a care in the world. And they had different looks about them, ranging from tall and thin to short and slightly curvy. One mare even had a beauty mark under her left eye! The sight of them completely mesmerized the Glimmers. " _They're so beautiful!_ " Sapphire gasped.

"Why aren't their manes tied up?" Prism asked in confusion.

"I see some girls wearing braids," Pearl said.

Sunshine rubbed her eyes. "Everything's so colorful! It's starting to hurt my eyes."

Sapphire suddenly squealed. A pegasus, around their age, came into view, wandering aimlessly amongst the chaos.

He had a cream colored coat and a dark brown scruffy mane that was partly concealed by a blue and white colored hat. He also had wide, chocolate brown eyes that curiously scanned the town. Sapphire's heart thumped wildly in her chest, her mouth hanging open. "He…He's the most handsome boy I've ever _seen,_ " she breathed.

Prism raised an eyebrow. "Isn't he the only boy you've ever seen?"

Sapphire snapped out of her stupor and threw Prism an irritated glare. "Hmph. My point still stands!"

Just then, a unicorn in a blue sweater came up to the boy. They looked to be the same age; her long blonde mane was held up by a blue scrunchy and when her mouth moved, they could see that she had matching blue braces. The unicorn tugged on the colt's arm while jumping up and down excitedly.

"And of course he has a marefriend," Sapphire pouted.

Moonlight rolled her eyes. "Come on. We should introduce ourselves. It's only polite." She bit her lip. "But don't be too forward! We don't want to scare them off."

"I can't believe we're actually going to talk to other ponies!" Pearl squealed. As they neared closer, the boy and girl suddenly took notice of them.

The girl seemed a little confused while the boy smiled in a friendly way. "Hey there!"

"H-Hi," Moonlight said rather shyly. "Nice to meet you."

"You guys here for the carnival?"

The Glimmers glanced at one another. "Carnival?" Prism repeated, not knowing what that was.

The boy nodded. "Yep. So are we, except we never leave," he joked. He gestured to the unicorn beside him. "This is my twin sister, Pumpkin."

Sapphire's ears perked up at that. "Your…sister?" she asked with a slow smile.

Pumpkin nodded with a wry grin, her blue eyes just as wide as her brother's. "Yeah, we know. We get that a lot. We used to get made fun of a whole lot 'cause our parents are earth ponies, yadda yadda."

"Oh, we wouldn't do that," Pearl said brightly. "In fact, our mom's a unicorn! And there's nothing wrong with that is there?"

The siblings shared a surprised looks. "You mean you're all sisters?" Pumpkin asked.

"Uh-huh!"

"T-That's so cool!" the boy exclaimed. "So are you guys sextuplets?"

"I guess so," Moonlight said a matter a factly, casting a smile towards her sisters.

"Cool." Then he smacked his forehead. "Ah, I almost forgot. My name's Pound. Y'know, like pound cake." He rolled his eyes. "Our parents were super creative on the names."

Sunshine grinned. "Hi. I'm Sunshine, and this is Moonlight, Pearl, Prism, Sapphire, and Buttercup. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Very much so," Sapphire said dreamily.

Pumpkin looked the girls over. "You're not from around here, are you?"

Moonlight's eyes widened. "How did you know?"

"Well, for instance, your cutie marks. They're all the same… I've never seen anything like it!"

Pound stepped back and observed them. "Yeah…how'd you get those?"

The girls glanced at their marks. "Oh, these?" Moonlight said. "We've had them since the day we were born."

The twins looked dumbfounded. Pumpkin's brow furrowed. "I wonder how that's possible. Where are you even from?"

"Uhh small town," Prism answered quickly. "Far off from here. But not too far."

"So are we!" Pound smiled. "Our folks sent us here to live with our great uncle to work for his bakery business. It's a family thing."

"And...where is here?" Moonlight asked.

Pumpkin extended her right foreleg with a large, brace-filled grin. "This is Cranberry Grove," she stated proudly. "One of the best tourist towns in Equestria...at least that's what the brochure says. But how 'bout it, newbies? Want a grand tour?"


	6. Like Glimmers In the Sky Part 2

_Discord gazed tiredly out his window. He watched with thoughtfulness as his personal warped skies made unique patterns outside his home._ No mail today, _he thought. He should be enjoying his own free time since Ponyville hasn't sent a distress parchment as of late. He was often called whenever their little town was in danger._

 _But then again...when is it not? Discord smirked._ Ain't that the truth. _He had years to work for everypony's trust and saving their little lives more times than anyone could count certainly seemed to fit the bill. At first he relished it. He was a hero. Every mare,stallion, filly and colt adored him. But, to his surprise, as time passed on, it grew...well, rather tiring. He had many friends, that what he strived for, but...none of them could fill that hole. That teeny tiny itsy bitsy hole in his heart that refuses to be satisfied. He had friends, sure. But none of them were like them. None of them could be….like her._

 _He shut his eyes for a brief moment. He reluctantly snapped his claws, conjuring up an old photograph of him...and her. He stared at her smiling face for a long time before the rage began to resurface. It bubbled up inside him like a boiling pot of water, ready to spill over. He gripped the picture frame so tightly, the glass shattered, making blood mix with the shards. He didn't care, he didn't even flinch. The picture crumbled in his paw and claw; tears leaked out of his eyes. A deadly snarl formed on his face, his eyes turning wild. "I swear it...whoever did this to you, Fluttershy...when I'm through with them...they'll beg me to finish them off…"_

The twins launched into educating the Glimmers in all the luxuries that Cranberry Grove had to offer. The guided them through carnival games, relays, and merchandising sales. "And this is the concert hall," Pumpkin said cheekily as they passed a large stage with a white backdrop; ponies in uniforms were unloading all sorts of strange mechanical machines off a truck.

"What's a concert?" Prism asked.

Pumpkin laughed. "You're such a kidder! Anyways, over there we have…"

Pound glanced back at Buttercup who brought up the rear, her eyes drinking up every bit of her new surroundings. "Does she talk?" he whispered to Pearl.

Pearl giggled softly. "Of course. She's just a little shy. She's actually more open whe-"

"Look look look, there they go!" Pumpkin shouted, grinning at the sky. Pearl looked up along with the others, each gasping at what they saw. Pegasi, lots of pegasi, all ranging from ten to sixteen, flying high above their heads, quicker than a blink. They whizzed by, almost too fast for the eye, as onlookers that surrounded them cheered enthusiastically.

Prism stared after them, her mouth hung open. "Who are they?"

Pound rolled his eyes. "Competitors for the fighting flighters competition. Bunch of stuck-ups."

"I...I've never seen anypony fly so high...and so _fast!_ "

Pound gave Prism an odd smile. "It's not that high? 'Sides, they kinds have to fly that fast if they wanna win!"

Prism kept her eyes on the sky, her expression shifting slightly."Pfft. Winning is a sign of egotism. Where we're from, our flight speed limit is not more than five miles per minute."

"And we don't fly higher than six feet off the ground," Buttercup added quietly.

"What? That sounds ridiculous!" Pound said with a snort. "How can you expect a pegasus to be happy if we can't go as high and as fast as we want?" He flapped his wings twice and zoomed circles around the girls.

Dust rose from the ground, making them cough. "P-Pound!" Pumpkin choked. "Q-Quit it!"

Pound slowed down and stopped mid circle, grinning at them. "That's how a _true_ pegasus should fly."

Prism frowned. "You don't think you're bragging a just a little?"

"It's not bragging if it's true," Pound said smugly as he landed back on the ground. "C'mon, we'll show you where the food is."

As they continued on, the girl's eyes glued to everything and everypony they past, drinking it all in. They came to an area that had food stands lined up in a row. "What's an 'Ice Cream' ?"

Sunshine asked. "Are they selling Ice Cubes or something?"

The twins stopped short and whiled around on her. "A...Are you saying you've never heard of _ice cream?_ " Pumpkin said incredulously.

"W-What about candy? You guys have to have had _candy_ before, _right?_ " Pound asked. The girls glanced at each other and shrugged. Pound and Pumpkin were beyond baffled.

"Hey, what's that?" Pearl inquired, walking up to a stand that had different colored muffins under glass.

"Oh, those? Well, those are called cupcakes," Pound replied, walking up beside her.

"Those don't look like cups to me ."

"No, as in mini cakes."

"...".

"Here. we'll just buy you guys one. You'll see."

"Our treat!" Pumpkin grinned.

After Pound and Pumpkin ordered cupcakes for each of them, the Glimmers eyes the pasties with hesitation. Pearl looked at her sisters and smiled, taking a bite. As Pearl chewed, her eyes grew bigger and brighter. "Oh...oh wow. WOW!" She pushed the rest of cupcake into her mouth and bounced on her hooves with newfound energy. "Ermehush, isshso gud!" Seeing how much their sibling enjoyed the mystery food, the rest of the Glimmers each took small bites. Collectives gasps surrounded the Cake twins as the icing flavors worked over their tongues.

"This is...amazing!" Buttercup breathed, getting chocolate smeared on her cheek. "What do you put in it?"

Pound shrugged. "You just pour the batter in the tray and pop it in the oven. Then you put on the icing."

Prism licked the strawberry icing in a circular motion. "Mmmm. Why can't mom make these?"

Moonlight, however, frowned at her cupcake as she held it up to her eye level with her magic. "Thanks, but...I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Why not?" Pumpkin asked. "It's vanilla! With sprinkles!"

Moonlight glanced at her with doubting eyes. "There's a reason why mother never served outside food. It's a sign of self-indulgence-not to mention how much sugar might be packed into these!"

"The more sugar the better then!" Pearl giggled, bouncing in place. "I _love_ cupcakes!"

"And I highly doubt a little sugar won't affect our figures, Moonlight," Sapphire assured, running a hoof across her lips to make sure there weren't any remaining crumbs.

"Our _figures_ aren't what I'm worried about," Moonlight said irritably.

"Moonlight." Prism deadpanned. "We snuck out from behind mom's back and traveled all the way here while she's still thinking we're going over Equality flash cards. I think eating a small _cupcake_ won't make much of a difference."

Moonlight's posture visibly sagged at the reminder of their act of deception. She closed her eyes and shook her head. _This isn't right._ "I'm sorry. Thank you for the gifts, but I can't accept them. I just... _can't_."

Pearl leapt forward and gulped down the cupcake, disabling her sister's violet aura. "I sure can!" she declared, licking her lips. "Mmm-mmm!" Moonlight merely growled at her sister, almost not noticing when Pound placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay. We wouldn't want to make you do anything that makes you uncomfortable. I can already tell that it's a complete culture shock for you guys." He glanced back at his sister. "Maybe we should slow things down a little?"

Pumpkin nodded. "Of course! I bet your minds are blown, huh? We oughta take it down a notch though-we wouldn't want you to have an aneurysm, would we?" She playfully jabbed Moonlight in her side. " _Hey,_ I know what would be super amazing-but it's super calm, I swear! We can watch Sapphire Shores sing tonight! Wouldn't that be cool?"

"Who's she?" Sapphire asked.

Pumpkin stomped a hoof in the ground and blew a raspberry. "Stars and _Moonbeams,_ you must have been living under a _boulder_ or something! She's a famous singer-well, she's kinda past her time and everything, but she's still a celebrity."

"Hey, the mare's still got it," Pound defended with a smile. "She goes on after the singing competition's over-which is in six minutes!"

Pound and Pumpkin lead the Glimmers into the back row of the audience just as the last singing contestant was stepping off the sage. The stadium was outdoors on a field of grass; the sun began to descend in the sky, making Moonlight tense up. Hoof Stomps accompanied a single pony as he took the stage and adjusted the microphone in front of him. "Alright, mares and gentlecolts!" he boomed, causing the Glimmers to recoil slightly. They had never heard a voice so deep and loud before.

"What got ahold to _his_ throat?" Sunshine whispered to Prism, who snickered.

"You've all been waiting, and here she is! Everypony give it up for the lovely….the timeless...the incomparable... _Misty Lakes!_ "

Wild cheers rose up from the crowd as a middle-aged mare took the stage with a smile; she was wearing a shimmering blue dress with a rhinestone dolphin sewed to the front. She had long cascading blue hair that flowed past her midsection. "How y'all doin' tonight?" Her voice was as smooth as butter as she spoke into the microphone. Some fans screamed in adoration. The mare smiled. "It's good to be here with y'all tonight! This song is about commitment...loss….and love."

With that, the music started playing a simple tune. Misty Glaze swayed slightly and harmonized softly, sending chills up the girls' spines.

 _You mean the world, Oooh and everything that I want for_

 _Since I've been your girl, Oh my whole life has been much better than ever before_

 _You got a tender sweet love, yes you do_

 _That wakens me and takes over me whenever we touch_

The mare closed her eyes and smiled to herself as sang the chorus.

 _Baby, that's just why I love you so much_

 _Baby, that's just why I can't get enough!_

 _Baby, that's just why I love you so much, I love only you…_

Sapphire quickly rose from her seat and headed for some bushes. "Saph?" Sunshine called over her shoulder.

Moonlight stood up and began to follow her. "I got her."

The unicorn trotted after her sister and caught up to her before she could go any further. "Sapphire!" She cut in front of her and pushed a hoof against her chest. "What's wrong?"

The white unicorn lifted her gaze, and Moonlight could see unshed tears welling up in her eyes. Her voice took on a softer tone. "Hey, what is it?"

Sapphire let out a choked sob. "I...I've never heard anypony sing with...with such _feeling_ and _passion_. _Ever._ We've only known one song in our entire lives...I believe in our principles with all my heart, but…" she turned to look at the mare on the stage. "The _way_ she sings about the one she loves…" She faced moonlight with longing in her eyes. "I want that, Moonlight. I want to feel _love._ "

Moonlight hesitated as she mulled over her words in her mind. "But...you have all the love you need from us...and mom."

Sapphire silently glanced at Pound before lowering her gaze. "Not _that_ kind of love, Moonlight."

Before Moonlight could say anything, Pearl popped up between them, making them cry out in alarm. "Is everything okay?" she asked innocently.

"We're fine," Moonlight said flatly with the roll of her eyes. Then her eyes froze on the sinking sun. "...Oh no…" She looked around frantically. "Quick! Someony! What _time_ is it?"

Her sisters looked at her dumbly. Groaning in exasperation, she raced over to Pound Cake and tapped his shoulder. "Pound, do you have the time? Please, it's important!"

Pound held up his watch. "3:58."

Half the girls held back a scream. Their mother would be returning at 5:30. They had a little more than an hour, and the trip here took two. "We need to go!" Moonlight squealed, pushing Buttercup out of her seat. " _Now!_ "

"Aww, so soon?" Pumpkin asked sadly.

"It's important," Sunshine said hurriedly, charging after Moonlight and Buttercup. "Too important! Bye!"

Pearl stopped briefly and gave Pumpkin a quick hug. "Thanks for everything!" she pulled away and waved as she trotted after the others. "You're the most wonderful ponies we've ever met! The only ones, but _still!_ "

Pound moved in front of Sapphire before she could leave. "Wait!...will I, uh...ever see you again?"

Sapphire managed a smile and hugged him so he wouldn't see her lower lip trembling. "I…." She broke the hug and wiped her eye. "I have to go!" She turned and galloped through the town.

The twins stood together and watched all six girls disappear behind a cluster of booths.

"They're so weird," Pumpkin said. She turned to her brother with a grin. "I like them!"

The Glimmers weaved through the crowd of ponies, running faster than they _ever_ had before. Their legs and calves burned with intensity. "I..never knew...running could be so...exhausting!" Moonlight puffed.

"Well too bad, 'cause we're gonna have to run all the way there to make it in time!" Sunshine panted. "Who in the hay was in in charge of time check?!"

Buttercup shrieked as she bumped into a stallion before continuing on. "Sorrysorrysorrysorry!"

They finally emerged the town, not one pony bothering in looking back. They jogged up the hill with the tree to fetch their belongings.

"C'mon, keep moving!" Prism urged, throwing her cloak across her back. The young teenagers plunged into the forest, leaves and branches scraping their faces and coats as they charged through.

Sapphire cried out as she tripped on a rock and scraped her knee. "Oooh…" Sunshine came up behind her and nudged the unicorn into standing position.

"C'mon Sapphire, move it! We'll look at it when we get back!"

Suddenly, Prism heard something snap and skidded to a halt. "Hey, hold up! Stop, everypony, _stop!_ "

Everyone halted in their tracks, panting heavily as they regarded Prism with confused and exhausted expressions. Moonlight whirled around and looked at her sister as if she grew a horn. "STOP?! What do you mean STOP? Are you crazy!? We can't just-"

"Shut up!" Prism hissed. " _Listen!_ "

A silence fell over the Glimmers. The only sound that existed was shaky breathing and the occasional loud swallowing. Moonlight looked at Prism and shook her head in confusion. "I don't hear any-"

Pearl shrieked as a large figure emerged from the trees. Moonlight gasped while her sisters screamed in alarm and terror.

"What is that thing?!" Sunshine yelped as they stumbled backwards. The rocks and bushes behind them made the teenagers spread out unconsciously.

Sapphire drew in a sharp breath as she stared into the creature's eyes. "I think it's a.. _.tiger!_ "

Groans of fear emanated from their mouths as the tiger came closer with a low growl.

"M-Moonlight…" Prism whispered...what do we-"

Without warning, the Tiger sprang forward on Buttercup with an open mouth. Blood curdling screams cut through the air as blood littered the ground.


End file.
